//------------------------------//
// (Start of part 1) Meeting Moon... 
// Story: The Name's Shadow, Shadow Eternal... 
// by EternalShadow54 
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	Moonlight envelopes the city as a chilly breeze sweeps through deserted streets. No life can be found, save a few rats and stray cats. A dog howls a lonesome melody off in some far-off alleyway. The solitude of night is monotonous; the dreary ruler of the darkest realm. As the stallion walked down the sidewalk, headed back to his camp and careful to avoid any attention to himself, he hears the fast paced clopping of somepony running in his direction. Instantly, he stopped to listen for which way the rhythmic sound is coming from. As Shadow looked around for the source, something crashes into him.

Shadow falls to the ground, his sides in pain from the collision. He looks up to see a shady figure of a pony, breathing heavily from the running. The stallion opens his mouth to speak, but suddenly hears hoofsteps in the distance, stopping him before he can speak. The mysterious pony jumps up and leaves in a random direction, the clatter of metal following close behind. "Wait!" Shadow screams towards the fleeing figure as he is approached by none other than the captain of the royal guard himself.

"You! Citizen," hails the captain, obviously paying no mind to who I actually am. "In which direction did that mare who crashed into you head?"

"How should I know? Do I look like her keeper?" Shadow remarked sarcastically. The captain draws back his armored hoof, knocking Shadow to the ground in anger with his attitude towards the question.

"I will let that sort of behavior off with a warning this time," he growls hoarsely before gesturing his underlings to follow; and in the wrong direction.

From out of a nearby alley steps a glossy black mare with luminous silver hair, her eyes cold as the icy color they possess. Calmly, she approaches the stallion, paying no regard to the threat of discovery. Her exceedingly large black wings are folded neatly at her side, and her gaze unbroken. As if she were a hawk hunting by night, she watches Shadow like a mouse out in the open.

He stands up, brushing his vest off as he stares into the eyes of the mysterious mare before him, wondering what her crime against the guard could have been. Carefully unfurling his wings, placing a hoof upon the hilt of his old Solar Empire blade, he readies to fight the shady pony in front of him.

"Who are you..." Shadow asks with soft tone, breath slightly shaky, knowing not the extent of the others power. His mind races to whether this be friend or foe. "Answer me!"

"Harsh words directed at a lady," she responds in a cool, but peeved tone. Her voice is a bit deep, but not unpleasant. "I did not mean to knock you over, but you surely noticed my predicament. Also, you have no need to fear me as you have not yet become a nuisance."

She smiles, but not with joy. "My christened name is Moonshadow."

Shadow settles his wings, removing his hoof from the hilt. His attitude shifts from that of alert to one of casualness, seeing as she posed no threat. "Heh, a nuisance? Me? Only if you annoy me."

The stallion looks to the direction which the guards had run. "If it's no trouble, mind telling me why they were chasing you? I mean, it's not like I took a metal hoof to the face or anything for ya." That being said, a smug grin forms across his face. "By the way, I'm Shadow, Shadow Eternal, but you can just call me Shadow..."

"Shadow," she repeats in a distant tone. "It envelopes the world of night, yet lurks where day does not reach. Ever present on our simple world, yet inescapable outside. Even within us it is undisturbed."

She monitors the wind, searching for the presence of another, but finds none. "I was once an alicorn like Luna and Celestia, but my horn..." she trails off. "My horn was taken from me in a dispute with the Princess of Night. However, I frequently return in hopes of amending our severed bond, yet the guard is always sent forth to drive me away."

Now she watches the moon gloomily. "Of course, no one has ever really understood me. Perhaps you were wondering why I have no apparent cutie mark?"

Shadow angles his neck, looking to the left side of the mysterious Moonshadow's flank to, in fact, see that it is blank. This takes him by little surprise, but still leaves him to question. "I can see, care to explain?" Shadow asks, but the stallion's suspicion is cut short by that of an arrow, the pointed projectile darting right towards the dark mare in front of him.

"Watch out!" he yells, jumping into her and taking the arrow to my his flank, piercing the crossed sword cutie mark and leaving the leg rendered unable to move.

"Captain!" the archer calls. "Over here!"

Moonshadow springs on top of Shadow, her wings veiling them both. "Close your eyes," she whispers.

Shadow hesitantly heeded her command and felt a strange, yet soothing surge flowing through his veins. Although Shadow's eyes stay shut, he sees a glittering blue haze flying exceedingly fast in his direction. Upon contact, everything returns to the void like darkness. Close to him, he hears the mare breathing heavily.

Opening his eyes, the stallion finds himself lying on a shimmering glade, a long distance from Canterlot, Moonshadow unconscious on the ground next to him.

He stares at the mysterious mare to the side, her breaths now calm as he thinks of what just happened. "It seems I'm not the only one who has dug into the dark magiks..."

Heaving a sigh, he takes pity upon the surely once great alicorn. "I hope she knows the price..." She's surprisingly light to be a full grown mare, considering throwing her across his back was somewhat of a simple task, despite the hurt leg.

Shadow takes a steady pace towards the nearby woods, careful on his injury, as well as to not wake the mare. The light from the moon was slowly disappearing as Shadow ventured deeper and deeper into his home. Upon reaching the old, rag tag camp him and his friends had made during the wars, Shadow set the mare inside his old tent, being the most comfortable seeing as the stallion was a captain himself.

"Don't worry..." Shadow whispered, laying her down and covering her up. "You're not the only outcast..." Wasting no time afterwards, he piled on one block of firewood into the fire pit, laying his head down on the dirt as he began to gaze into the starry sky, skidding flint on a rock to start a blaze. "Heh... another renegade..." Shadow chuckles. "How do you always find them?" Only moments pass before he allowed the soft call of rest take him away, falling into a deep settling.





Sunlight streams through the tent opening, just short of falling on the sleeping mare. Her breathing has returned to a much more normal pace, her sides rising and falling steadily. Under the blanket, she stirs back into the conscious world. She cracks open an eye to observe her present location.

‘An old tent?’

Stretching her limbs, she stands and walks out of the tent and into the light. Upon contact with the light of day, her mane turns to a golden flame color and her eyes turn amber. Instead of the silver aura cast by moonlight around her, there is now one like goldenrod. With each step, the sun's rays dance on her shiny pelt, but not on her hip. Where a cutie mark is normally found is onyx black, literally absorbing the light; like a void.

The stallion rustles beside the ashes of a burned out fire, his thoughts smoothly lifting away as he slowly return to reality, a rather distasteful task in his opinion. Shadow stands, stretching his forehooves while he let out a yawn. "Guess I better check on my guest..."

Turning, Shadow noticed an unfamiliar figure standing beside the his old tent, her hair of flame with amber eyes. He draws his blade, twirling it within his hoof and locking it in place at the neck of the intruder, his speed and agility almost blinding by his "curse" as always.

"Who are you!" Shadow yells. "What is your business here!" Looking into the gap of the unzipped tent, he notices the mare from before missing. "Where is she!" he flares in anger, the edge of his weapon now touching her throat.

At first she is shocked by her friend's outburst, but recalls her appearance in the light. Gently she brushes his blade aside.

"I see you've noticed my unusual trait," she chuckles. "I represent the shadow of both day and night, my mane and eyes change accordingly to my surroundings."

She casually strolls into the shade of a nearby tree, her mane instantly returns to its original silver and her eyes back to their icy blue.

"See?"

Setting the blade back into his sheath, Shadow let out a low grunt. "Seriously Shadow, how do you end up with these ponies?" Observing the surrounding area, he finds that there is no need to keep on the aware. "I guess it couldn't be an intruder anyway, seeing as nopony has ever found this place, or lived to tell the tale... Save a few friends..." A hearty chuckle overtakes.

"Regardless..." Shadow says, settling down and regaining the grasp on sanity. "You're probably wondering about my... unusual speed..." He turns his head, a bit of shame falling over. "But I'm sure your story is more interesting..." Sitting on the ground, the stallion's full attention was now fixated upon the mare before him. "Care to explain yourself?" he states with a grin.

"An eye for an eye. What's your story? I've told you part of mine already," she inquires, smiling with anticipation. It'd been far too long since she'd last talked with somepony in a friendly manner.

"Touche..." Shadow says in annoience. "A tale for a tale... Where do I begin?" he asks himself, thinking back to the days of old. "My village was destroyed years ago by a dear friend of mine, though he tries to fix his wrongs by random time travel in hopes of obliterating that accursed book..."

He shakes his head. "Details for details..." Shadow continues with the story.

"After barely surviving the onslaught, I was one of the only ponies to make it, meeting my sister years after. I was just a colt, my body weak and frail. I wandered the forest tirelessly, constantly fearing that I would be attacked." Shadow stopped to take a breath. "Eventually, I was..." There was a momentary pause. "After wondering for a year, they finally found me, the monsters that destroyed my home. Instead of killing me however, they blessed me with this curse." Shadow turned to the side, anger suddenly enveloping him.

"I... I am cursed with the ability to use dark magik... the ability to call upon the heathens of Hell itself to my bidding... but at a price..." His breath grows shaky. "I... have no soul... my essence was ripped from me as a colt... and the decision wasn't even mine to make..." Shadow coughs into his hooves, retaining SOME composure. "Anyway, after I was cursed, I decided to make my way towards Canterlot to meet with the Princess in hopes that she could cure me, but it too came at a price. She said she would lift the curse as long as I fought along side with the Solar Empire..." He chokes up a bit.

"How was I supposed to know my sister was the leader of the raid on Ponyville..." Shadow's voice trails off into memories. She watches him empathically.

"I know how you feel, having to do such a thing to someone you deeply care about," she responds quietly.

"My mentor, another alicorn, took me in after finding me staggering around in the Everfree Forest. His name was Nightrain, and his 'curse' was similar to yours. Though he had a soul, he was constantly tormented by those of the Void; grotesque creatures of shapeless form. They had destroyed his family, his friends, and his 'special somepony', Month Wisp. In order to protect everypony, he fled into the words and developed his own form of 'Dark Majik'. When he found me, he chose to raise me as his own, teaching me his 'spells' in hopes that I could save him and myself from the Void Dwellers..."

She trails off and stares into the distance before continuing. "But in the end, they managed to possess him, leaving me no choice but to destroy him with my own two hooves." A tear streams down her cheek, glistening like honey. "Afterwards, I went off to Canterlot and became Princess of the Shadow, or at least until I tried to convince Luna not to..." Another pause.

"Not to listen to the Queen of the Void, Nightmare Moon. Luna allowed the Queen to possess her in hopes of an everlasting night. Before I could stop her, she shattered my horn, as she had done to my mentor. Now I'm cursed with the mark of the void and a white, crescent-moon-shaped scar on my forehead."

She removes the hair covering her scar. "Still, the voidlings threaten return, and my only hope is to resurrect Nightrain from his deathly slumber."

"We all have our demons we have to face..." Shadow pulled at the black vest he was wearing, revealing a long streak of red gliding down the neck. "It continues downward to the edge of my flank on both sides, as a reminder to how my end shall be..."

Shadow looked to his hooves with remorse. "At least your life won't end with death, carrying on towards the next life, regardless if it's Heaven or Hell..." He looks into the amber eyes of the mare beside him. "Tell me Moonshadow, is resurrecting your dead mentor really going to fix everything?" The mare suddenly glares at the stallion in anger.

"Of course it will!" she shouts, her voice echoing in a thunderous way.

Abruptly, she paces a few feet away. "But you're wrong. My life will end in death, and I shall go to Heaven or perhaps Hell; but that is not for me to decide. The price of resurrection is death. I will have three days to live afterwards, and Nightrain will live for one unless..."

Again she faces the stallion. "Shadow., would you like me to resurrect your sister as well? It may shorten my time to two days, but if I can master Rain's forbidden spell, it may be possible to save us from the effects of my temporary Raise The Dead spell; and perhaps it could help you as well."

Shadow's heart is pierced by her kind words, remembering that he never really explained him and his sisters relationship. "Your words..." There is pause.

"They... humble me, but I... I don't think that would be the best idea..." He stands up, scuffing the dirt from his vest. "But seeing as you owe me for saving your life, and not killing you I might add, how about I come along in your journey and help ya out." He withdraws his weapon, cutting the tip of his hoof, only a black gush of what should be blood coming out.

"Let's make it a blood pact." The mare stares at his hoof with perplexion, wondering what the voided liquid is. "Don't worry, when you take with you apart of me, I am obligated to help you until your death... and before you ask why I am so willing, does it honestly look like I have anything better to do?" Shadow finishes with a laugh.

Nervously she steps back, "A .. blood pact? C-couldn't we just l-leave it as a promise?" she stammers.

Never would she consider cutting or pricking herself. Blood wasn't a substance she was particularly fond of. Not after all she'd done that she wasn't telling. Not after the brutality involved in learning majik without using her horn.

He lift a brow at the mare stepping back, the word 'promise' even more gut wrenching than the last kind gesture. "I'm afraid I can't help you if you don't accept the pact. Sorry..." Shadow still stood, holding out his hoof with hopes she will accept. He really didn't have anything better to do. "If it would make it easier, I could prick your hoof myself." he suggests, reaching for the dagger hidden within his vest.

Unsure as she may be, she nods and sticks out her hoof, squinting her eyes shut. "Do it quickly," she groans.

The stallion takes the short blade within his hooves, knicking the tip of hers as he expertly only just pierces the skin to allow a slight blood flow. After which, he took her hoof in his and connected where the two cuts had been made, the blood of his and hers mixing together. A dark aura forms around them, the air around becoming stale with the stench of death.

"You now carry within yourself my essence. I am therefore sworn loyalty towards your side until one of our times of death." Storm clouds bellowed above. "I share to you my ability of speed without cost..." His neck cracks back as a surge of energy leaves his body, shooting into the mare before him and granting her the agility that he possessed when he drew the blade upon her.

After a moment, Shadow falls back to the ground, Moonshadow confused by his choice of words, but before she speaks, he asks a simple request. "Before you ask, why not gallop towards that tree..." he says with a heave of breath.

Curiously, she obeys and as is an entity, vanishes and reappears by the tree in less than a second. She is shocked at first by her own ability to do so, and is frozen to the spot. Her eyes dart around, unsure of her location until she spins around. Realizing what just happened, she relaxes.

"Impressive," she admits. "Also.."

She smiles at the stallion and giggles, "You say you are loyal to me until death forces us apart, which sounds a lot like wedding vows to me!"

Sitting there and realizing the exact words he stated, Shadow begins to blush. "Er... hey! You want my help or not!" Then, he realized the pact he had JUST made, and proceed to facehoof as result of the stupid question.

"So I give you the blessing of speed and my loyalty till death and you're going be like that..." he states with a sigh. "I could have stolen your soul for my own if I wanted too..." Shadow suddenly says with a grin. "And I still can..." The mare looked at me with question.

"Cross me once, I can forgive. Cross me twice, then we have a problem. Nopony has dared to do it twice, especially when I have the power to suck the life from them with my essence..." Shadow smirks. "So if I were you missy, I'd watch what you say..." Shadow laughs. "And you said you studied dark majiks..."

"Stealing one's soul is something simple to me," she grins wickedly. "True power lies in destroying it."

She trots over to him. It was rare for her to see a pony of such high power, or with enough gut as to threaten her. Not that she would ever harm anypony ever again. No, she had made a vow long ago that had stopped her from killing.

"Nevertheless, you could still prove of some use to me," she presses her forehead to his, "But first..."

A torrent of winds rushes about the stallion, lifting them both off the ground. An intense, ear-piercing screech rings through the atmosphere as he feels his body disintegrate. Fearfully, Shadow's eyes snap shut. Silence.

His eyes open to find himself floating in space, facing the moon. As he watched in awe, the moon crusts over with a rusty substance. Just as it covers the celestial body, it cracks and seeps lava. Like blood oozing from multiple lacerations, it crawls to the bottom of the negative sun, causing the lower half of the moon to split open and gush out a bright, pink goo. The goo forms a into a large drop that plummets... but where?

Shadow feels as though time is rushing backwards, everything he experienced heads in reverse, and he returns to reality.

Slowly, Moonshadow backs away from him.

"You have just seen an image from the far past, that will become the future..." she informs. "There is more, but I'm afraid you do not possess what is needed to see it."

Shadow steps back, the petty image of what he had just beheld having upon him little effect. "Cute..." he chuckles, another smug grin forming across his face. "Never-the-less, I am still obligated to be loyal to you, though I still choose what I will and won't do..."

He holds out his hoof. "Of course, you know not the extent of the abominations I have seen..." He looks toward the sky, muttering a simple phrase as the mare takes hold of the hoof. "Beautiful day... If it could only last..."

As she grabs hold of the hoof, a dark void opens up from underneath, the pits of oblivion becoming clear as they descend. She struggles to get free, but Shadow tightens his grip. "See with your eyes, the eyes of a soul, the very thing mortals fear coming to daily, and know that my own hell is far worse..."

As they descend downward, the temperature raises to blistering hot, fire all around as the screams of tortured souls scream in the distance.

Landing upon brimstone, he releases his grip upon the mare before him, her eyes darting in all directions of the horrible world around her. "I say my dear, you look a bit terrified. Have you no conscious? Is the fact that you have the power over life give you no remorse for your actions, because I can feel nothing. I'm just a soulless being, forced to live upon Equestria until somepony ends my despicable life, then which my soul is consumed and lost forever, never to live on..."

He chuckles. "If this has an affect on you, I'd hate for you to meet my 'friends' of the other side... they really are quite a sight..."

The mare clenches upon his vest, tears streaming from her eyes. Little did he know of her full past, and how more fun it was to just play along. "Heh... silly mare.." Shadow mutters, throwing his hoof up as they ascend out the wretched place, not picking up the 'fake' sobs. Upon reaching the roof of oblivion, the vortex opens once more to allow them to pass. As they land, the forest all around is lifeless, the trees dead as dark storm cloud above overshadow the area. The grass is gone, scorched to nothing as the camp before her is burned to ash.

"Now do you understand..." Shadow says with a low grunt. "I can't feel anything other than what they allow... and they allow only sorrow and pain... or any other feeling that can be used against me..." He gazed back to the sky. "If only the day could have lasted..."

Shakily, she releases her grip, staring at the ground.

"I don't believe you're soulless," she admits. Her hair has turned dark violet, and her eyes the color of blood. "Just deeply scarred, beyond the reach of anypony's grasp. You've only convinced yourself of your inability to feel. A spell I frequently used while slowly torturing innocent ponies to their deaths."

A bone chilling rain begins to fall and lightning cracks across the sky. Moonshadow jolts at the thunder roaring in the clouds. A small laugh escaped her as she gazes up at the sky in a sorrowful way.

"Even in death you don't approve of it, do you?" she begins to laugh, bemused by yet another bang of thunder.

"Death?" Shadow chuckles, a few shady figures enveloping around his bottom hooves. His neck twists, the bones within breaking as a loud crack shoots through the sky. "My dear..." he says with a lower tone. The next words spill from his mouth, ghastly figures rushing from the opening as a darker voice sets in, one more satanic with a demonic tone. "dOn'T gEt Me StArTeD aBoUt DeAtH..."

Even the skies can't seem to grow as dark as the aura around him, his eyes going blacker than night. Suddenly, everything goes red, a flash settling as another loud crack of thunder rages, his body slowly coming back to the scorched earth.

"My loyalty to you has priority... There's no use in killing a mare who couldn't defend herself, no matter how badly she doesn't want to believe..."

Pulled back from her realm of thought, Moonshadow stares back at her comrade. Did he intend to try and frighten her? If so, she had more than one reason to pity him. Still, she couldn't care less what he did to her. She'd been in the afterlife before, and regardless of what he said, she knew a soul is not lost in a literal sense.

"So much for loyalty," she scoffs.

Standing up, she trots over to him and kneels before him, saying, "I'm not sure what you've been through, and I'm not fond of your kind of dark majik, but you have managed to earn my respect."

She looks up at him and smiles adding, "Why did you swear loyalty to me? I can accomplish my task alone, regardless of how you think of me. You don't know the half of what I can do. But YOU saved MY life by taking that arrow and not abandoning me on the glade. Should I not be the one sworn to your service?"

Straightening up she looks him in the eyes, her coat, mane, and eyes now taking on the color of his. "I believe you have a soul because you CAN feel, regardless of whether or not it is controlled."

A wicked grin comes to her face as a similar void-like aura surrounds her. "When I made the wedding comment, you blushed. When I was facing 'death', you took the arrow."

She strides up beside him and whispers in his ear. "You were happy to see Davy when he appeared before you after so many years, weren't you?"

She vanishes and reappears several feet away. "You say that image I showed you was petty, but was it really? A young colt, cursed by that 'crust', shielding that 'lava', and in the end will 'burst' into a 'gooey' mess?"

"I was reading your mind Shadow," she declares, "but only because I wanted to see how loyal you really are."

Shadow stares blankly into her eyes. "I knew you wouldn't understand..." He brushes her aside, thinking about the past and all the ponies he'd hurt. "I never said I couldn't feel... if I remember correctly, I am allowed to feel what they see fit..." He laughs a bit at the thought of Davy. "Stupid stallion couldn't control himself..." Shadow flashes beside the mare. "No doubt your abilities come to some equality to mine, but we both know what would happen in a fight..." he snickers.

"Tell me... you believe I have a soul..." He appears in front of her, mere inches from her face. "If so..." he starts with a grin. "Prove it..."

"What I've said has stirred up some emotion in you," she states, staring blankly back at him, reverting back to normal form. "A soulless being is emotionless. Like a tree; it feels nothing. Even a psychopath has ONE emotion, and that is selfishness."

She sighs, "I realize not many ponies believe in an all-powerful deity, but I do. And only He can take a soul; lest you be a cleverly designed machine."

A faint smile returns to her face as she confesses, "My interest in you has skyrocketed. Regardless of what you do at this point, I will always like you and consider you a friend."

"Heh..." He stares with apathy. "A friend... like I need to break another's heart..." Shadow looks to the corner of his eye, the distant city of Canterlot just visible. "Tell me, would your deity forgive such a pony as I?" He quickly shakes his head. "Whatever... if you believe that a soul is to be found within me, then make me this promise. When you cast the resurrection spell... Kill me..."

Moonshadow stares at him, feeling rather bad for that earlier comment. However, she is certain that releasing him from his flesh prison would bring him peace; but that oath she took so long ago. No matter, she'd disappointed herself so many times that it isn't a big deal. God would forgive him, and when she resurrected Nightrain, she would kill her friend and stop that accursed side-effect of resurrection.

"He'll forgive you if you ask Him too, but I promise; you'll die when I summon back my mentor to our earthly dwelling."

A smug grin forms across the stallion's face, the mere thought that she could think it was that simple almost too much to not laugh at. "Heh, I hope you know that they won't just let you kill me..." Turning for the city, he notions her to follow. "Might as well start making our way to town..." She looked as though she was about to speak.

Shadow was quickly able to throw a hoof up to indicate pause. "For supplies..." he says, the dark trail before them littered with traps, most of which were his anyway, and bandits. She seems like she could handle herself, but regardless, Shadow took the dagger from his vest and tosses it to her.

"You have my agility, save your majiks for a time when you need it..."

Seeing any further argument pointless, she accepts the dagger; also pointless. Obediently, she follows him, still curious about one thing. His sister. Regardless of her prowess in the art of mind-reading, she did not pry through her victim's memories too much.

Also, why hadn't he killed her, or at least attempted it? Do what you will with her flesh, but her soul is forever alive; devoured it reforms and wounded, it will heal. It was even capable of producing a new earthly vessel in which she could remain for a time. That is how this shell she resides in now came to be, and how it will be until she truely parts for the afterlife. However, she would have to find a way to kill her immortal friend, and soon. The time of awakening was drawing close.

As they continued to travel the traverse road, he took notice of the mare having a constant look of perplexity as the two advanced forward towards town. Obviously she has questions, and he had answers. After taking a few more steps, Shadow glances back at her, still keeping in mind to watch for his own traps as he read her confused face.

"Let me guess... My sister..." the stallion states with confidence. Before she asks, he explains himself. "It's the look everypony gives me when they wonder..."

She waits for him to continue, glad to have returned to a normal status.

"It all started in the pre-war. I had found my sister living on the edge of Manehatten, her farm quite prosperous and her reputation unreal. Needless to say, she couldn't accept the fact that somepony like me was her brother, but..." Shadow paused to take a breath before he continued.

"I used the forbidden memory spell to have her recall our times as brother and sister." The mare beside him takes a sudden jump, but he remarks with truth. "Now before you go off and get mad at me for using forbidden majik, let's not forget who's summoning an undead..." She settles down, her attention a bit more peaked by the story.

"Anyways, after reliving her childhood, even... that of the slaughter... we became close, like sister and brother should be. A week after finding her and sticking around, she came to me bearing what she thought of was GREAT news. I was so excited for her, until she had to me she was fighting along the New Lunar Republic..." Shadow stops for a second, staring at the sky for only a moment before he carried on.

"As you can tell by my blade and from my earlier explanation, I couldn't have been sadder, especially when I had to break the news to her about my joining of the other side. She was a lot like you then, unable to understand anything I said, regardless of reason."

The thought left Shadow almost smiling. "We were both fighting on the wrong sides for the wrong reason is what I kept telling myself, but our decisions were final. I promised her that if we were to meet in battle, that I would spare her life... but she refused to return the courtesy." A distant explosion was heard. "Looks like I got another one." Shadow smirks.

"Celestia assigned me a mission to stop a raid on Ponyville, the information leaked by one of our spies. I was appointed head captain over the small response group, but she would have only need to send me. As they waited on the edge of town, there came before us around twenty-five rebels strong. Telling the guards to look away, I simply aimed and shot, all of the opposing group blown into the air, only a few living the initial blast, nopony surviving the after-effects." The stallion takes a final breath before explaining the last details.

"My sister... was the leader of that group... a decoy group that wasn't even supposed to enter the city..." He started to choke up. "Her eyes... her final words... she only asked 'why'... I watched her die in my forehooves... I watched as I condemned her soul to the afterlife..." Shadow shakes his head, composing myself. "Anyways... bringing her back now would be... eventful, to say the least..."

For a long time, the mare remains silent, mulling over his story. His life has been painful. Moonshadow doubts he's ever fought for his freedom; not even once. Used as a weapon to ease his master's stress in battle. Mindlessly allowing himself to be swung about at any pony standing in his wielders way. Even if that pony was his own sister.

"I know that I must seem rather childish to you; refusing to believe you are soulless, but I stand by that," she finally speaks. "However, I see now that I cannot persuade you into thinking otherwise. You were merely a tool, used by Celestia until you've worn out."

Suddenly, she laughs and calls up to the sky, "So this is what I once was huh? Your tool?"

Her gaze lowers to her hooves, still chuckling softly, "Of course, I still am in a way, aren't I?"

"I don't find the comment funny..." Shadow coldly beams, steadily keeping pace and avoiding the traps. "Don't step on that rock... unless you want to he in seven places at once..."

"If you mean being a tool," she responds bluntly, half-mindedly avoiding said rock, "it is merely a term to describe somepony who obeys every given command without thinking. Like telling a dog to sit. The ability to achieve that state of mind in itself is a rare but extraordinary accomplishment. It dulls use to the senses of pain, fear, and guilt during our missions, and can help us forget if used right."

"You... don't... understand..." Shadow says, gritting his teeth together. He takes another breath, calming back down. "Look, that's my story... well, that part of it anyway." They suddenly arrive at another camp, the residents within bloody heathrens. "If you have another question that you would like to annoy me with, PLEASE continue to ask..." She was certainly the first to get him into an agitated state, and he had the feeling that this was going to be a normal thing. "Shall we?" the stallion asked, stepping through the threshold into the camp, the ponies inside all asleep.

"One last 'annoying' question," she whispers low. "What happens if they awaken?"

He grins menacingly as a tent suddenly burst to flames, the bellowing laughter from him causing the camp to stir. "You see that tree?" Shadow inquires, a demonstration obviously needed to put the heathens in place. As he pointed towards the plant, it instantly implodes, a vortex forming in its place. "And I love plants!" he smiles with glee. "Imagine what I would do to a few ruffians who didn't know their place?" The camp settles, a few of the ponies shaking in fear from the corner of his eye. "Let's go..."

"Rather crude way of handling things," she scoffs. "We could've just flown over."

Sighing, she continues to trail after him.

"Strange though, the more cruel you react and the more you seem to hate me, the better I like you."

His brow lifts, obviously taken aback by the statement. "How so?" he asks, the feeling of curiosity getting the better of him. "Most ponies, much less mares, can't stand my attitude, MUCH less like it..."

She chuckles, "I have the strange habit of falling for the hated. It's the misunderstood who do not back down to me, a nice change for a matriarchal mare like myself. You're actually a lot like my former mentor, only you chose the Solar Empire."

Shadow scoffs at the statement of the Empire, his hatred for Celestia growing with every mention. "It's not something I take pride in..." he retorts, a low scruffy voice being all that was audible to the mare. "Anyways..." He starts, walking very casually as they pass the last of his traps. "Tell me a tad bit more about yourself, like how you change color in the light and the shade."

She perks up, feeling the mood is once more neutral.

"Well, Nightrain once did a blood test on me to find that out." she informs. "Apparently, I'm related to changelings and those of the Void. Also, my 'majiks' base themselves off of my surroundings, unless I fall into my Chaos form. I also change according to the weather, and my forms differ slightly depending on things like location and temperature."

For a moment she is silent, her eyes running Shadow over; sizing him up. "Have you ever had a special somepony?" she questions. "Or at least liked somepony in that way?"

He stops, glaring at the ground with a longing frown. "Like somepony would give me a chance..." He felt he had to be careful of how he acted around this mare. Obviously she was trying to get something out of him. Shadow suddenly laughs to break the tension as he gave reason to the answer.

"Besides, who would want to be with a murderous former captain that killed his own sister?" He pushes through a few bushes. "How about you? Ever had a special somepony to call your own?" the stallion asks, turning and facing the mare.

"I'll answer your last question with one similar to your first," she responds, watching him carefully, studying him. "Who would love a murderous mare who killed her own fa--" she stops short. "The one who raised her?"

She laughs, "Most pony's refer to me as Voided Love, hinting at the rumor that I am incapable of caring for anypony other than myself. Suggesting, that perhaps I too am soulless."

Chuckling hoarsely, she shifts her gaze away from him, "Such notions are foolish, a cavern into which ponies flee to escape the morbid truth. By denying my soul, they deny guilt. They would feel nothing when killing me if they've convinced themselves I am little more than a machine."

"I see..." he states with a brow raised, his curiosity almost getting the better of him once more. "So you are capable of love? I guess you're capable of guilt as well also, seeing as your emotions aren't constantly being toyed with by demons..." Before the mare has a chance to respond, he has one last question for her. "And why are you observing me? You see something you like?" Shadow jokes with a grin.

A noticeable red tint colors her cheeks and she snatches her gaze away.

"Of course not!" she lies. "I was just looking at your scar."

Shadow smiles as he took notice of the red hue in her cheeks, the obvious sign of embarrassment. "Oh, I see. Do you need a better look at it?" the stallion asks, putting his hoof up to remove the vest.

She hurries past him and replies shakily, "That's okay, we should hurry on ahead."

"What's the rush?" Shadow asks, the grin growing wider every second. "The faster we get there, the less time you get to hang out with me. Ya know, seeing as you're gonna kill me when we DO get there and you revive your mentor, might as well enjoy my little bit of time left and look at the scenery."

The stallion smiles smugly. Though he is without a soul, and knows himself that when she DOES try to kill him, her efforts will be in vain. Why should he have to drive this mare to her own demise so soon? Staring at her, he reverts his smile back to normal.

"Wouldn't you not agree?"

Unsure of his intentions, she backs away a little. "I guess," she decides uncertainty.

"Alright..." he says, the stare never leaving the mare. "Since we aren't in no rush, how about we head to the nearest farm and grab something to eat?" Shadow implies, putting his hoof at his stomach. "Besides, it's been awhile since my last raid anyway." he states with a silly smile as he started walking past her.

"Care to join me? Or if you would prefer, head to Canterlot and I'll meet ya there, though I wouldn't head back so soon if I were you." He chuckles. "Those guards might not have recognized me on account of their pursuit of you, but if they knew that you were in alliance with me..." He bellows in laughter.

"Let's just say that mercy would be just a ever fading concept from them, but I'm sure you could handle those guards regardless..." Shadow steps through some bushes out of sight. "Coming?" he calls back.

"Do I really have a choice," she sighs and follows close behind, her eyes growing hungrier as she watched him. What was this feeling washing over her? Surely it isn't love, it's more like... desire... Yet, why is love in their? What is it she desired? Why'd the feeling grow when she heard his voice, or so much as glanced in his direction? More importantly, would this emotion allow her to attempt killing him? Even though she knew she couldn't kill an immortal, nor could anypony kill her, another immortal. The Void wouldn't allow it, as it could easily reform her.

Still, she would try. Then she would leave him, and this hunger would go away. Her depression would return and she would continue with her pointless life in service of Nightrain.

Shadow couldn't quite explain what was happening himself. Of all the horrible and wretched emotions that he's felt, this was quite certainly the worst. Every time she would laugh, would speak, would even look in his direction, he couldn't help but feel... different. 'C'mon Shadow, it's not what you think it is.' he kept telling himself, but still... he couldn't shake the feeling.

"We're here," the stallion states, brushing a few branches away to reveal a large plantation, the vegetables numerous and the fruit glorious. "This is my personal farm of choice. They think there's a large family of rabbits stealing their food, but that would be ludicrous in my opinion," Shadow says with a laugh. "Help yourself, Imma go grab a few apples."





As Shadow trots off after the apples, the mare heads for a pear tree. For whatever reason, she absolutely loved pears, regardless of their papery texture. She kicks the tree, nearly uprooting it in the process, and causing every pear to plummet to the ground.

'Well, they certainly won't think this was the doing of a rabbit.' she thought as she proceeded to shovel down the fruit.

It doesn't take her long to finish them off, so she decides to search for her friend. An apple sounded good right about now. Juicy, and not an unpleasant feel.





Shadow heads to his favourite tree, the loud crash from behind obviously meaning that his new friend had found herself a suitable tree to kick. "Silly mare..." he whispers to himself. After trotting for another minute or so, he finally comes across his destination. There stood what appeared to be the IDEAL apple tree. "Tree, you never cease to amaze me..." Shadow says as he edged closer to the objective.

Suddenly, his hoof is wrapped by a rope, the apparent trap flinging the stallion's body into the air and hanging him upside down, his blade falling to the ground as well as his other dagger.

"Well..." Shadow says to himself. "This is great... I wonder when she'll come looking for me..." He reaches up and picked an apple from the tree. "I'm sure she will soon enough..."





Moonshadow wanders through the trees in the direction her partner had gone. So many trees, how'd these ponies manage to run this place. Minutes later, she finds Shadow hanging upside down from the tree. Unable to control herself, she sinks to the ground laughing.

"Enjoying me in this state?" Shadow asked as she laughed, which seemed to only make her laugh harder.

"How'd you manage that?" she inquires in a bemused tone.

To her, the stallion appeared a tad bit helpless in this position. The unbearable feeling within swelled. She wanted to lunge at him and... And what? She didn't know, but it was hard to refrain from it. She unfurls her wings and flies up to untie him.

As she is doing so, he looks off in a random direction before pushing her away. "Move!" Shadow yells at her, the knot loosened but still tight around his hoof. Before she can reply, there is a gunshot as a bullet whizzes by her head, the owner of the plantation within gunshot and aiming right at them. "Run!" Shadow screams, trying to avoid having to dig a bullet from the mare's body.

Instead of obeying the command however, she rushes the farmer, her mane dark violet and eyes like blood. Every bullet deflects off her void-like pelt. Her head crashes into the stallion, sending him flying in the opposite direction. Upon impact, she vanished and reappeared at her friends hoof, biting into the rope with razor-like fangs, freeing him. She reverts back to normal as he lands safely on the ground.

"Thanks..." Shadow says, brushing off some dust from the landing. He was a bit annoyed at her refusal to obey my command, but the impressive transformation seemed to make up for it. "We should go before his workers come. I rather like this farm, so I'd like it to stay in business." he said as he started off back towards the woods.

"By the way, you looked better the other way." Shadow truthfully states, his oblivious being leaving him unaware of how the mare might take the statement. She simply follows him.

"In chaos form?" she inquires. "Not many ponies think I look as good as Slaughterfang. To tell you the truth, she's my original form, the one I had before I learned majik and I began transforming. I've used that form for nothing but killing ever since, even though I now have the power to stop my constant changing of body."

"Yea, yea..." the stallion says, pretending to ignore her as he listened rather intently.

'Maybe if I can get her angry, she'll revert back to that beauti-' He stops himself in mid thought, trying to figure out what the hay he was thinking.

'What's wrong with me?' he wonders, trying to figure himself out at the moment. 'Still, I would like to see her in that state again.' He suddenly stops as he ponders a question in his mind. He could just ask her to change back, but...

"What?" she questions, noticing a change in his expression. Did he like her true form THAT much?

Shadow shakes his head, throwing the thought out of mind. "Nevermind..." he says, starting back through the woods. "Explain to me where we are heading off to again?" He asks, thinking that she never really clarified, or not remembering.

'I'm so oblivious sometimes...' he thinks to himself. 'But nopony really notices... I wonder why... They always just seem to believe that it's part of my personality, which technically it is...' He props up on a tree as he awaited her response to the earlier question.

"To the palace," she answers. "I need some of Luna and Celestia's hair, but don't bother asking why" She stops beside him.

"You say nopony ever loved you because of this curse, but you never told me if you ever loved somepony." She adds in quickly, "and I don't mean brotherly love."

Shadow just had to wonder why she was so bent on finding out, but he guessed it couldn't hurt answer. "I wouldn't know. I'm not sure how love works..." The stallion glares up at the sunny sky, a few tree branches covering up the rays of sunlight. "Nopony ever loved me, so how am I supposed to know how it feels?"

He wasn't exactly trying to lie, but he had heard a few example of what it was, but, of course, he never really believed them. "I'm guessing you've loved before, seeing as you're so set on knowing. Care to explain it to me?" It was a trick question obviously. Nopony could describe love, so he figured the question would set her back. With a smug grin, he awaits her to finish thinking and explain it to him.

"An unspoken bond between mare and stallion," she ponders aloud. "I loved Nightrain as a ...well, a father I guess.... But I haven't felt..." She pauses at that lie. "I haven't felt what Nightrain seemed to feel for Mothwisp. It was like he was eager to merge their very souls together. That look in his eye, it was kind of frightening. Like an animal ready to devour his helpless prey. Yet, he'd never harm her.... I'm not entirely certain myself..."

"I suppose it's an emotion that connects one pony to another so strongly, that to live without the other borders on impossible," she concludes.

"BAHAHAHAHAHA!" He bellows, thinking on her definition and about the blood pact. "Sounds like I unintentionally loved you when I swore my loyalty to you, seeing as I literally CAN'T live without you, unless you die yourself of course," he chuckles. The thought really did entertain him so. Another thought suddenly struck him. "Wait... if we are both immortal..." The thought of having to obey this mare for eternity dumbstruck him. "You... did say... that casting that one spell... will kill you... right?" Shadow felt downright stupid as she answered.

"It will indeed kill my body... but," she pauses. "But it will kill only the form I am in upon casting. Since my forms are innumerable, I am theoretically immortal."

She laughs, "And only God and myself are capable of destroying my forms, as each has its own life force, which drains when I use my majik." Another pause. "Except my Chaos form, infinitely protected and rebuilt by the Void. It cannot wither, nor can I be parted from it until I am released."

Shadow stood there, his mind a complete blank. "So... that means..." He pauses, thoughts now a complete scramble. If what she was saying was true, then the rest of Shadow's endless life will be spent with HER, whether either of them liked it or not. The stallion slumps down the trunk of the tree, his mind back to a complete blank.

"What have I done?" he softly mutters to himself.

For a moment, Moonshadow doesn't fully grasp the situation. Then it hits her. "So," she starts. "That comment I made about wedding vows..."

"..........." he doesn't reply. She had said that her life would be consumed, so he thought that the pact wouldn't mean anything, but with this NEW information that he probably should have been informed of...

He was still unable to think, sitting there as he still tried to grasp the situation.

"Technically, you only made a pact with my shade form," she says in an attempt to calm him. "If I were to cast that spell in that form, would not the pact be broken?"

Shadow sighs. How he wanted to believe that, but she and him both knew that it wasn't that simple. Dark majik is complicated, and the blood pact wasn't an exception to that rule. The stallion glares at the mare, the weird feeling that he felt before now coming into a more normal and common feeling for him. Hate.

"C'mon..." he scruffs, a displeased look on his face. "Let's get moving..."

Once more she has brought a dark cloud over the two of them. She hadn't thought anything of that pact, other than she hadn't wanted to do it in the first place. Did he truly hate her for that? Couldn't she just set him free? She trails behind him with her head low to the ground. Her hunger was now only guilt.

Shadow takes notice the mare behind him, her head low to the ground. He couldn't help but feel a little pity for her. It wasn't ALL her fault after all. Shadow felt the need to turn as say something, try to bring her spirits up. The two come to an opening, just outside of the main trail towards the castle. He turns to the mare to speak, trying to form a smile.

"I guess basically being your servant won't be so bad..." He says with an uneasy chuckle. "I was Celestia's for years, and I despise her... so I guess dealing with you for eternity wouldn't be too much worse." Shadow trys to laugh, but the thought of being another pony's servant for life made him feel a bit... disheartened.

"I don't wish to think of you as a servant, but as an equal," she growls softly as they walk out into the open.

After a moment of silence, she trots up and asks in wonder, "Do you mind if I try something?"

Shadow's eyes widen at the question. Uncertainly and with hesitation, he answered with a simple nod, taking a step back from the mare as he did so. "Sure..."

All becomes dark around the two, a complete void dotted with tiny white stars, glittering and dancing about. Slowly, the mare reverts to her Chaos form, a bloody aura around her. She walks up to him, gazing nervously into Shadow's eyes. Suddenly, her eyes squeezed shut, and her lips crash into his.

Shadow's eyes grow even wider.

'Was this mare... kissing me?' His mind turns a complete blank, his muscles now frozen, all thoughts now gone, the exception of a few racing questions.

'Should I return the kiss? Should I just keep standing here? What should I do!? A few more moments pass as I still stand there, the mare's lips still pressed to mine. What do I do!?'

Moonshadow feels his tension and steps back. "Sorry," she apologizes. "I was just curious." Their surroundings begin to fade back to normal.

"Sorry?" Shadow says, stepping back up to the mare. He softly stared back into her eyes. "Don't be," he states, pressing his lips back to hers, the stallion's own dark clouds forming around them.

She smiles and returns the kiss. That feeling was back. It shrouded her in warmth. She wanted to be part of him completely, but their earthly shells, the bodies confining them; they wouldn't allow it. This moment, this darkness and warmth; she didn't want it to end.

An eternity with him, she desired it. To be at his side, to restore his 'lost' soul. Most of all, she needed him to be happy. If killing Celestia were the answer, she'd do it. Should the answer be his death, she'd grant it. In truth, she was becoming more his servant than he becoming hers.

Subconsciously, her right hoof starts working its way up to his chest.

Shadow felt her hoof touch his chest as she returned the kiss, his body cold to the touch. He didn't know what he was doing, but he didn't care. Everything around became black, except for her. Maybe she was the answer, the solution to his problems, his troubles. A joyful feeling accommodated his already warm feeling inside.

'Was this what they called love?' he wondered.

'Is this the unexplainable feeling that one gets with another pony?' Shadow closed his eyes, the only image being her, and it didn't bother him. 'Maybe... an eternity with her really wouldn't be that bad...'

A sudden impulse to nip at his lip and tear off his vest springs into the mare, resulting in her abrupt halt and backing off.

'What the heck was that urge? Majik? No, it was something else...' Nothing had ever really taken hold of her like that before.

"Sorry," she once more apologizes, this time embarrassed for her actions. "I'm just not sure what I should be doing."

Realizing how stupid that sounded, she attempts to walk off stating, "We should continue on our way."

'What just happened?' Shadow thought to himself. He watched as the mare stumbles away clumsily, bidding him to follow.

'Did I do something wrong?' He hesitantly trailed behind the pony as they continue down the path. Shadow starts bashing myself, a bit of guilt falling over him. 'What was I thinking? That was obviously some sort of test, and I failed. Stupid, stupid, stupid...'

They keep walking in silence, an awkward atmosphere forming around the both of them. The stallion felt as though he should say something, but it would only make matters worse in his mind. 'It was all my fault after all.' After a while, he finally got up the nerve to speak, stopping and holding a hoof up.

"Wait..." Shadow says, getting the mare's attention. "Instead of walking, how about we hitch a ride on the next carriage?" he suggests, trying to break the tension while putting a rather strange grin on his face.

She nods before slowly asking, "Out of curiousity, did you..." she trails off. "Did you, 'feel' anything?"

"I... uh..." He wasn't quite sure how to respond. Yes, he did feel something, but Shadow wasn't quite sure how to explain it. The feeling, the desire, he don't know what came over him. He guessed a simple answer would suffice, though he was probably thinking wrong.

"Yes..." the stallion states rather bluntly, waiting on her next action. He was hoping a carriage would come soon, but knew that those odds were slim. He was still unsure how to take what had happened, and he certainly believed that she must be the same way as well.

The red tint returns to her cheeks as she prepares to speak. Suddenly, a black portal appears behind her and begins to suck the mare into the void. Fear is expressed vividly in her eyes as she reaches to take hold of anything within her grasp. Panicking, she takes hold of one of Shadow's hooves.

"What the-" The two suddenly pulled into the vortex, everything around them now black. Shadow sees the fear in the mare's eyes as she still grasped his hoof while they were still being pulled.

'What was going on?' Shadow opened his mouth to say something, but there's a sudden flash. In that instant, the stallion's body goes limp, and everything starts to feel like a dream to him.

A burst of laughter erupts from the darkness as a white stallion with dark teal hair approaches. His eyes are like garnets, and his fur covered in black zebra stripes. He's nearly twice Celestia's size, with fangs like bloody razors. On his back are two scars from where there were once wings, and emerging from his forehead is a horn.

"Been awhile hasn't it, Moonshadow?" he chuckles, before adding, "And you've brought along a little friend, huh?"

All Shadow hears is a distant chuckle followed by incoherent speaking. He wants to open his eyes, but all his energy felt drained from him. Opening his mouth to speak did little good as the breath seemed to just leave his lungs. Everything was numb, and everything was dark to him. He trys to think rationally, trys to bring myself back to reality, but how could he do so when he was unable to even lift a hoof?

"What do you want Bloodfang!?" the mare growls as she steps in between the two stallions. Shadow wasn't looking so good, and their captor wasn't exactly the 'friendly' type. In fact, he never left the Void. Not since his battle with...

The stallion brushes up against the much smaller mare as he replies, "You."

In an instant, he vanishes and reappears looming over the barely conscious pony behind her.

"Seriously though, what is your affiliation with this..." he questions, poking at Shadow, "this runt?"

Moonshadow lunges at Bloodfang, her chaos form reactivating. Bloodfang simply vanishes and returns a few feet to the side, laughing, "Well, well! You've rejected me for another? Honestly Moony, what could you possibly gain from a Hell pony?" Once more he is pushed up against her.

"You know the Void is actually worse than Hell," he growls. "Tormenting and painful without the presence of anything or anyone but yourself. You might just have a chance of escaping Hell, but the Void is an eternal place, swallowed in black flame."

Shadow feels a looming fire growing within him. He knew the feeling all too well. He trys to hold it back, trys to diminish the flame. The area, this... void, everything about it made him angry. Shadow trys to contain it, and not just for his sake either.

There's a slight confusion as he suddenly felt something faintly poke his side, his head now clearing as he began to regain consciousness. "Moon..." Shadow studdered, barely able to stand on his hooves. Looking through the haze in his eyes, he can see the figure of another, much larger than he, stallion. "Wha... what's happening...?" is all Shadow mutters as he looked at the two.

Bloodfang grins wickedly, his eyes darting to the gray pony a small distance away.

"Awake I see," he cackles, then returns his attention to Moonshadow. "We'll be seeing each other soon, but not in battle." He leans forward to whisper in her ear. " What you seek is not your answer my dear..."

He runs his tongue over her ears as everything melts away, leaving them on the roadside. Not far away, a carriage is approaching.

Everything becomes clear to Shadow as the road appears again, the mysterious stallion disappearing. His strength returns as he glared at the mare, paying no attention to the carriage approaching. "You..." he starts with a low growl. "Have some explaining to do..."

Moonshadow growls angrily back, on the verge of crying, "What?! You think I like that sicko? The Prince of the Void, Bloodfang. His father wanted that... creature to be with me, he just followed along until he too desired it. After the King died, Nightmare Moon took over and convinced him to forcibly make me his."

She turns away and continues sadly, "He lost his wings when he took Nightrain's horn, and so he used the Voidlings to torment my mentor."

Again, she snaps at Shadow, "Now he knows for a fact that Nightrain is dead, and he won't stop until we are betrothed! Even if it means swallowing the world in the Void..."

He stares at her, the expression never changing. "What do you want me to say? Huh? How am I supposed to take this?" he asks with a disturbed tone, the carriage very near.

"Nevermind..." Shadow states, hailing the nearing transportation and turning his attention completely away from her. "Hey! We need a ride to Canterlot!"

"Don't you dare change the subject on me," she nearly shouts. "I love you, damn it!"

At first, she doesn't realize what she just said. When she does, her whole face takes on a red glow.

He pauses as he heard the words. "So... you do love me..." As the carriage grows near, Shadow waved a hoof to indicate it to go on, the driver taking the hint and turning path. As the stallion circles around to the mare, he was left speechless, her words true as shown by the tint in her cheeks.

Standing there in front of her, he thinks of what to say. "Listen..." Shadow began, trying to form the words. "I... I..."

'How could I say it? Of course I felt something when we kissed, but after so many hardships, I still find it hard to have feeling for somepony...'

"I... think we should keep walking..." He couldn't bring myself to say it. Very awkwardly, the stallion steps past her with a slight red on his face, head down in shame.

The mare rushes and halts in his path, studying his expression intently. "Is it Bloodfang?" she questions worriedly, but then relaxes a little. "Or..."

Shadow kept his head down as he brush her to the side. "It's nothing..." he says, trying to think as they continue. "Just... a personal matter..." Shadow couldn't help but wonder how many times she has attempted to read his thoughts.

'I figured she would have a tad more respect for me than that... wouldn't she? Regardless, I have a mare that claims to love me, and now I'm stuck with all these twisted feelings about the subject. Maybe I'll ask her some questions later, then again, maybe not. Never-the-less, I'm with her until death, and seeing as that's eternity...'

"Canterlot's only a few miles, but should we camp for tonight?" he asks, stopping just a few hooves in past her.

"Sure," she sighs, a little defeat in her voice.

She still couldn't believe she'd said that. 'Am I a complete idiot? He didn't love her! No. But if he did...'

The urge to read his mind a second time bordered on impossible. She couldn't do it again. Why she'd done it in the first place will forever remain a mystery to her.

"Alright then..." Grabbing a few tree trunks and magically separating them from the tree, Shadow fixed up a nice little shelter, big enough for two. "I'd had made separate ones, but we need firewood..."

'That, was a lie. This mare said she loved me, now let's see if she really does. A test would never hurt anypony, would it?'

"But I'll let you have the whole shelter if ya want. I can sleep outside..."

"Actually, I was kinda hoping you'd sleep..." she blushes and turns her head so her hair covers her face, "It's just, I'm vulnerable when I sleep... and it's kind of chilly." She faces him again, "Plus, it could rain or something."

Nervously awaiting his response, she picks at the ground with her front, right hoof.

'So I was correct, she does love me...'

"Those all seem like legit reasons..."

'I could play hard to get, but that's never fun. Well...'

"I guess if you really are that helpless when you're asleep, I don't see the harm in it." Picking up a few more hollow logs, Shadow started a fire with the flint in his vest, and bid her to sit next to him. "Come, we have a lot to talk about..."

Although her expression is serious, joy was swimming in her eyes as she trotted over and sat next to Shadow.

'What'd he want to talk about though? Love? His curse? Nightrain? Bloodfang? His past? Somepony he knew? Her past? What they were going to do?'

Shadow thought over what he wanted to say VERY carefully. Though she looks serious, he knew that she must be overjoyed, "So..." he starts. "I'm gonna get straight to the point. You said you loved me." The stallion took a momentary pause. "Is this true?"

"Of course!" she replies, worried that he might not believe her. She really DID love him. If only she could prove it.

"Alright..." Another pause. "And about this... Bloodfang or whatever his name is, should I worry myself about him?" This was really the only question that mattered to him. If he wasn't a problem, then Shadow saw no folly in loving her, but if there was blood to be shed... Consideration would be an understatement.

Not that he was afraid, but it's really for both their sakes. Shadow's in his without a soul and demons and such, and hers as in he REALLY didn't want to accidentally hurt her in the process.

"Ironically, the wanna-be homicidal Prince is afraid of blood," she chuckles. "But that's because he knows that if he harms anypony himself, Nightrain shall return and take his place on the throne, and my mentor would also be granted Bloodfang's power." She smiles. "All we really have to be worried about are his underlings, but they amount to nothing but a swarm of gnats."

"Heh, sounds like quite the charmer." Shadow lazes back and breathed in the crisp air as the sun starts to set, barely a ray of light piercing the treeline. "So you love me and I have nothing to worry about but a few underlings that compare to gnats..." he mutters to himself, obviously the mare overhearing his rambling.

"It's getting a bit dark. We could stay up and chat around the fire more and it could be YOUR turn to ask the questions, or you could head on to bed." Shadow smiled. "If you do, I'll catch up later..."

Seizing the opportunity, she begins her questioning, "I forget, how'd you get that scar? Why hasn't Celestia helped you regain your soul? If it IS possible to take it away, it IS possible to get it back. Why haven't you fought back against your suppressors for freedom? Why make blood pacts if it binds you to so many? Do you remember your parents? What was your sister like? What's with all the clothing? Doesn't it get in the way? Do you love me too? What'll you do IF I DO go to bed? Why'd you stop the carriage from coming? Why didn't you kill me during our little spat this morning?"

"Son of a-" Shadow stops himself, knowing that he probably brought this upon himself anyway. "Let's see. Your first question... about my scar." He thinks really hard about this answer, considering she still won't believe he was soulless, even when Bloodfang knew he was a Hell bent pony on sight.

"Well, when those monsters decided to steal my soul away, they had to... dig and find it..." He winced a bit. "It... was painful to say the least..."

"Celestia?" he continues. "What makes you think she would care about a low life monster like me? She saw what power I had and tricked me for it. How do you think Luna started winning the war a few years ago? I quit, remember..."

'These questions feel a bit redundant... but I did bring this upon me.'

"Fight back?" Shadow paused.

'Obviously she wasn't seriously thinking that I haven't tried this.'

"I'll let you think on that question on your own..."

"The pact? You said you were gonna die and I didn't have anything better to do other than keep from Luna and Celestia's reach... Besides, it wasn't the WORST thing I've ever done..."

"About my sister..." He lied down in the grass, the sky nearly pitch black now as the fire slowly illuminated the area. "She... was my sister... let's leave it at that, for now at least..."

"My clothes? Why? Is there a problem with my dress style?" He chuckles. "Most of this was father's... Took years to grow into..."

The next question stunned him. He liked when ponies are straight to the point, but this case was different. "I'm not sure how to explain WHY I find it hard to... love... but, I will say that I care about you more than I do anypony else... If that works... for now at least..." he says rather nervously, unsure of her response, but he continued to answer away.

"If you DO go to bed, I'll do as I said and catch up later... I don't lie. Well, not often anyways..." He laughed.

"The carriage? Now would we be talking if we were inside of a small, compact transportation vehicle?" Shadow smiles with glee at the remark.

"And me? Kill you? I'm not sure. I usually kill everypony I meet now-a-days... So, I guess you're just lucky." Shadow now believed he had finished the quiz, and he could feel it getting late as the stallion watched Moonshadow form change to that of the night.

"And there ya go. A bit more about this stallion and his cry-filly back-story..." Bashing himself has become a hobby more so than anything. He answered her questions, and he now awaited her response.

"Well, I wasn't expecting you to answer them all, but I'm pleased that you did," she chuckles. "And before I go to bed I must ask, why haven't you joined the Lunar Empire? Or killed Celestia for that matter?"

"Let me answer that ludicrous question with this one. Why haven't you killed Bloodfang? Seems like he would be a problem if ya ask me." Shadow grins at his smart remark.

"I'll just let you think about what you asked..." He laid back, staring at the night sky as the mare heads off to bed. "It sure is beautiful out tonight..."

She walks slowly towards the tent, pausing only to say, "Because of a vow I made, I can kill nopony..."

The silver aura around her turns dark blue, her hair dark gray, and her eyes nearly white. Sleepy, she lies down and closes her eyes in preparation of the nightmares that haunt her sleep. She could kill NOPONY; nopony except Shadow. And she'd finally discovered a way to do it, even though it would be painful. Even if he really is soulless and immortal, there was a way to kill him. She knew it all too well.

Shadow stares at the sky, the twinkling stars above reminding him of a home he never had. "I wonder..." the stallion starts to ponder to himself, the mare now fast asleep. "If home isn't a physical place, but more of a state of mind..." He laughs at the thought. "Shadow... what has this mare done to you? She's making you soft, a pushover." He yawns as he stands up, and makes ready for another dreamless night.

"Still, I can't help but feel like I need her... Celestia knows that I've been too long without a friend, even if it is a mare..."

He stares at her as she lay there, fidgeting a bit as to indicate she was having a bad dream. "Heh... at least you can dream..." Shadow lay beside her, the cold wind suddenly chilling him.

"Goodnight..." he softly spoke as he nuzzled the back of her neck, wrapping his hooves around himself and turning away.

 'It's best to let her be...' Shadow thinks to himself, remembering the tragedies of waking soldiers in the same state as her. Closing his eyes as the fire slowly diminishes, the wind takes its toll as he began to shiver and allow his mind rest, everything to be black once more until the time of wake.





Moonshadow awakes to find that she had snuggled up to Shadow sometime in her sleep. Embarrassed, she attempts to pull away from him, only to find her hoof stuck under the sleeping stallion. She could easily just snatch it out, but he might awake thinking it is some kind of assault. Hesitantly, she nudges his side.

Shadow feel a disturbance in his sleep, the initial reaction being to grab the dagger within his vest, but as he quickly thought about it, he finds that it must be the mare.

'She must have snuggled up to me...'

With a grin plastered across his face, Shadow stretches out his forelegs and rolled around to face the mare, eyes still closed. Her leg is still stuck underneath him, this Shadow just realizes, and in his settling, his forelegs seem to just wrap around her, the grin gone as he continued to sleep.

'I am not waking up just because she wants me too...' he thinks to himself. 'It's still late, and I'm still tired...'

She suddenly freezes up.

'He can't possibly be asleep! Stupid stallion, trapping her in such an... an awkward way. What'd he want, her to beg and whine for release? The nerve!'

Squirming a little, she shakes him. "Shadow," she groans. "Wake up! I know you aren't really asleep. What do ya want?"

"Now if I remember correctly..." Shadow says, releasing his grip and turning back around. "You snuggled up to me..." He lifts his body so that she could take back her hoof.

"Besides... I don't sleep... I rest." He thinks back to when she did snuggle to him. "Consider yourself lucky that I didn't think you were an intruder the first time..." With a low chuckle, he starts to rest once more. "Goodnight Moon..."

"Sorry," she grunts. "I'm just a bit moody when I awaken."

Again, she settles down, but not to sleep. Unceasingly, she observes the steady rising and falling of his sides. It was now clear that he too is a heavy sleeper... Well, heavy rester anyway. Still, that feeling had returned, only she now wanted him to do something, she wasn't sure if it was what she was thinking, but she NEEDED him to do.. something.. something to her...

Shadow lay there, his senses never falling as he pondered to himself. Only a moment goes by before he stands up and stepped outside into the night, starting to re-kindle the fire. "Go on back to sleep..." he said before she can react. "I'm gonna keep watch. Don't want anypony sneaking up on us..." The stallion pokes at the new flame with a stick, watching as the fire grew before his eyes.

A strange smile comes to her lips and she reverts to her chaos form. Steadily, she rises and walks over to the stallion. Without warning, she leans on his back and nibbles Shadow's ear. If this desire was so persistent as to act in her sleep, she would just let it take control for a while.

Shadow suddenly feels the mare, what appears to be, nibbling at his ear. Freezing in place, his muscles locked.

 'What was she doing!?'

He sat very still as she continued.

Feeling him freeze up, she pushes him onto his back and chuckles hoarsely, "Why so tense? You're generally very dominating. Let your emotions take over hotshot."

She locks her lips to his, nipping in hopes of entry. Although she wasn't sure what exactly she was doing, she allowed her forehooves to begin removing his vest. That desire was an undiminishable flame now. Whatever her body wanted, it was now determined to get.

'Was she... seducing me!?'

Shadow suddenly felt her hooves start to unbutton his vest as her lips started nipping at his. Shadow was quite unsure of what to do.

'Do I just let her continue? Do I stop her?'

Strangely, he starts to slowly lose control of his body.

'What is going on? What is this feeling of... desire?'

Shadow started to push back with his lips, letting the weird feeling take over, and letting her lead the way to whatever she was planning to do.

She breaks the kiss for a second to question, "Perhaps we should continue this in the tent?"

"The tent? It's such a beautiful night, how about we spend it under the stars?"

She smiles seductively as the two dive into a passionate night.





Dawn comes and passes without the two awaking. By noon, Moonshadow awakes to find herself still hugging close to her partner. Last night had been amazing, to say the least. For once, she did not regret letting her emotions guide her. All in all, she was truly happy.

As Shadow awoke, he noticed the mare still by his side. Turning to face Moon, Shadow stares deeply into her eyes, and with the sweetest voice that he himself could tolerate, say the words she was probably long awaiting.

"Moonshadow..." he startx, leaving a brief pause before continuing. "I love you..."

Shock appears instantly on the mares face.

'Did he just.. return her feelings? Were the words she thinks she heard spoken by him? He loved her? He loved her back!?'

The joy within her nearly makes her leap into the air, but instead she suffocatingly squeezes him into a hug. However, she freezes suddenly and pulls back with a half-sad half-worried expression on her face.

"Shadow?" she hesitantly speaks. "Do you wish for me to still keep my promise? Do you still wish for me to at least try and kill you?"

"How about this..." he said, the full knowledge of what he had asked her to do never leaving the mind. "When the time comes... do what you feel is right. I won't try to fight you, and I will love you despite what you choose. If anypony had to end me, I would prefer it be you..." Every word Shadow had spoken was absolutely true.

Indecisively, she stares into his eyes. Nothing would compel her to kill him; especially not in the way she would have to. She loved him, and he finally loved her. Now all they had to do was obtain some of Luna and Celestia's hair, and bring an end to the mission that brought them together.

"I'm not going to end you unless you ask it of me," she responds. "I would rather spend the rest of our lives together than be torn apart."

"Even if you shall never truly know if I have a soul or not?" he asks with a small smirk across his face. "Doesn't matter I guess... Come, let's make ready for Canterlot." With a smile, Shadow lightly kisses the mare's forehead, getting up and putting on his vest along with his weapons.

Happily, she stands up and waits for him. Whether or not he chose to believe it, she was certain he had a soul. Only the soulless cannot feel, and if those Hell-things did choose what he was allowed to feel, then they possessed him when he began to feel something 'unfit'.

Really, if creatures from the underworld chose his feelings, he would not love. But, let him believe as he wished, it mattered little to her now. Her only real concern at present was how would she obtain the princess's hair.

"So... what are we doing again?" Shadow asks, a slight red tint in his face. "I... kinda forgot..." He secured the belt strap for the blade as he awaited her answer, looking off at the nearby city's direction and how they could sneak into there, considering that he and both princesses aren't exactly on the best of terms since the wars.

"Obtaining a chunk of both Luna and Celestia's mane," she replies. "Once we have that, I will remold it into a horn and attack Bloodfang."

Before Shadow can say anything, she continues, "Eventually, he'll have no choice but to return fire, which will summon back Nightrain. Rain will proceed to seal Fang up in the white void and claim the throne of the black Void."

"I see..." There was only one question that came to mind, and he was determined for an answer.

"So tell me... Where exactly do I come in and NOT be a hindrance? You know both Luna AND Celestia pretty much hate me, right?" Shadow felt a tad bit useless at this point, but before she could answer, he thought of at least one way.

"I can get you in the castle undetected in Canterlot at least..." He sighs.

"They pretty much hate me too," she smiles in a weird way. "However, I do have one spell I could use if you wish to make things a bit easier."

"Easier than using a secret tunnel that leads straight to Luna's bedroom?" Shadow suddenly thinks about the statement extremly hard. "Sadly, that can be taken wrong... BUT, it t'was used for spying purposes from Luna herself during the war. She's pretty much forgotten about it, but tell me about this spell of yours..."

A small laugh escaped her, "I can grant you half of my power, which would put me at equal power with Celestia, but would make you an alicorn as well." Quickly she adds, "Of course, all of my power will be once more restored once I have created a new horn. Plus, I will be granted Luna and Celestia's powers as well."

"Thanks..." he starts. "But I have to decline... I'm fine with being a pegasus..." With all his gear fixed up, he decided it was time to head out. "Keep your power... you'll need it..." Shadow said as he starts walking towards the direction of Canterlot.

Shrugging her shoulders, she follows. In truth, she liked pegasi more than alicorns or unicorns. That horn was so unsightly, and after using the one she was about to create, she would immediately destroy it. Gaining the power of other ponies was simple when using that method, although painful. Still, these alicorns aren't like simpler alicorns such as Cadence and Chrysalis had been. No, she would really have to put in an effort.

"Do you wish to take on Luna or Celestia?" she asks in a serious tone of voice. "Of course, we could also take a shot at Lightwing, a glowing white alicorn with golden hair who resides deep within the palace. If we obtain a lock of his hair as well, it will greatly speed up our victory. In any case, it will go faster if we split up, but whomever you choose, you must not kill until after my horn is made." She stops a second before warning, "Luna must not die though; only Celestia and Lightwing are allowed that privilege."

"So, you're saying that I am unable to kill one of my foes?" Shadow looks to the ground with a rather demoralized look. "Disappointment..." He jumps from that mood into one of confusion. "Problem... who will take control of Celestia's royal rights? You know, rising and setting and sun after we kill them?" They arrive at the city's wall just before she can answer. "We're here..."

"Before we enter, I will answer your question with a question," she states.

"Who will be absorbing their power? After I have created a horn they may still be alicorns but with no more power than simple earth ponies. Afterwards, you may do what you will with Celestia and her best friend Lightwing. Luna however, will be my maidservant, as I will assume the throne as Queen of the Shadows."

Her gaze meets Shadow's. "That is, if you are willing to be my King."

Staring deep into her gaze, the stallion simply grins with his remark. "Let me answer THAT with a question. Why would I turn down such a wonderful offer?" He pushes his hoof against a block within the city wall, a small path opening from underneath them, slightly to the right. "Ladies first..."

A wicked grin crosses her face as her Chaos form activates. Although she is unsure of how she'll get the hair, she'd have fun doing it with her soon-to-be king. Only time would tell, but one thing was certain. Luna would put up no fight against her. It was Celestia they had to worry about. That stupid mare would force the whole city unto them lest they caught her by surprise.

No matter; Cadence and Chrysalis had the power to harness love and use it against others. Celestia would be brought to her knees by the very same power used to defeat her during the changeling invasion. Best of all, those elements of harmony brats were no longer alive to interfere, and even if they were, they couldn't take on Moon's new mate.

Walking through the passageway, a few thoughts run through Shadow's mind. He really worried that a fight would spew whilst facing either Celestia OR Luna.

'I could take them, but I can't control myself if those dark creatures take hold of me, much less watch out for my new mate. Maybe it's not going to be that hard... maybe it'll be quick, simple, and easy. I only know that this will still turn out bad regardless... Just because I'm here...'

"We should be under the main courtroom by now..." he states with a sigh, his thoughts flowing without halt.

"If you're concerned about the fighting or my safety, go after Luna and tell her I sent you. She'll put up no resistance," she pauses. "Or you could go after Celestia and Lightwing. Even if you kill them, their hair and horns are still of value to me."

"As much as I would LOVE to kill Celestia OR Lightwing, I simply can't lose control of myself again. Just seeing Celestia would make my blood boil..." With another sigh, he gazed into the mare's eyes. "Seeing Luna would make me want her dead, and this Lightwing?" He paused. "How hard would he be to kill in comparison?"

"Simple," she replies. "Lightwing is fully paralyzed, but he is still full of unused power. Also, I figure killing him would kill Celestia in a theoretical way. He's her lover after all."

She chuckles cruelly, "How are you going to live with Luna as my servant? Or will you relish her grief of me killing her beloved sister?"

'Watching her suffer? I guess that would suffice.'

"Hmm... no promises I can contain myself, though I would love to see it." Shadow ponders over the idea only for a short time before replying. "Deal!"

They slowly approached what appeared to be a dead end. "According to memory, we are directly under the master bedroom. Hence, Luna's room..."

Moonshadow slips through the entrance revealed by Shadow. Predictably,the Princess of Night lies in peaceful slumber. The mere thought of this mare being oblivious as to the events taking place amused her.

A though a simple breeze gently glides over a pasture, the soon-to-be queen tip hooves over to the bedside. Looming over the sleeping pny like a ghost, Moon bites off a clump of the glossy, semi-translucent mane.

Feeling the disturbance, Luna awakens to behold a strange pony at her side. Shadow takes notice the sudden bustle of the princess, and hides himself.

'I can't be allowed to be seen at this point. If she was to see me...'

Luna speaks, using her royal voice in anger. "What is this! Guards!"

"Ah-ah," Moonshadow chuckles as she envelopes the alicorn in her wings, transporting them to the void.

Although they vanish, Shadow alone can still hear faint voices.

"Long time no see, Luna."

The blue mare stares at the winged one before her. Terror has now crept upon her face as she comes to recognize her assailant. "Moonshadow?"

"Indeed," the black mare responds. "Tell me now, what would you do without your horn or majiks?" Desperately, Luna tries to charge her former friend, but finds herself to be immobile here.

"Moony, don't do this!" she pleads.

Stepping forward, Moonshadow closes her eyes. As the lock of hair floats before her, she becomes black as the night; eyes, hair, and all. The hair twists and bends into half a horn upon her forehead. Suddenly, something shatters like glass. Luna was now a mere pegasus, her cutie mark faded to an onyx black void.

Moonshadow returns to the bedroom, leaving Luna temporarily trapped within a dark imprisonment. Her own cutie mark now contained a blood-colored crescent moon.

Stepping out from his hiding place, Shadow quickly glares at the trapped mare, a wicked grin forming across the muzzle. "Hey there Luna. Been a while."

"Shadow! I should have known! Did Celestia send you!"

"Wait, you didn't get the message? I left her army years ago, far before our little disagreement..."

"You'll pay for this!" Luna screamed. "You both will!"

"Come on Moon... I can't stand to look at this... this trash they call a princess..."

As they exit the room, Moon laughs, "We'll pay? Honestly, she doesn't know us very well."

She looks around a bit lost before asking, "It's been so long since I've been here. Which way to 'Mrs. Mary Sunshine'?"

Moonshadow starts towards the door, but halts abruptly. A strange dizziness washed over the mare; causing her to wobble off balance. Everything she sees is fading. Suddenly, she collapses.

The stallion watched as his love spun around in dizziness, just to suddenly collapse before him. "Well..." he starts. "That's certainly new..." he starts toward her to drag her off somewhere a bit safer, but something tells him that he should just wait, a feeling of some sort.





She blinks... awake?

'No. Wait. Where was she? Certainly not with Shadow.'

Out of nowhere, a blurry figure of a pony appears; a colt by the looks of it. He is just a black blur, yet somehow, apart of her.





Without warning, she jolts back into consciousness. At first, she feels slightly unstable, but quickly recovers. Her face a complete blank.

"Shadow... I'm pregnant..."

"Uhhh..." He stood there rather dumbfounded by the statement. "I'm not quite sure I heard you correctly. Did... you just say you're pregnant?" A million thoughts surge through his mind, but only one mattered.

'How could she be so sure?'

"Yes," her voice is distant, as if dreaming. "A colt."

Her right hoof reaches her belly.

‘A child. Shadow's and hers little foal. What would it look like? What would it act like? More importantly, what does her mate think?'

"A child... of my own..." Words couldn't express his conflicted feelings. On one hoof, he was completely overjoyed! On the other...

"No, no, no... this isn't good. We... can't raise a colt..." Before she can speak, he trys give his reasoning.

"Think carefully about this... I mean, don't get me wrong... I'm thrilled! And I know there's no way to stop it anyhow... but..." He suddenly trails off.

'This is just a recipe for disaster...'

"I'm just asking... could we handle it? He'd... be in danger his whole life with us... and I don't think I could stand to know that..."

'I couldn't form what I meant exactly, but I hope she understood...'

She ponders this before responding, "I am creating a horn for myself, but will destroy it in the end by summoning Nightrain." A pause. "If I were to grant the foal with immortality instead, would you be willing to kill Bloodfang?"

"Kill Bloodfang?" He quickly thinks before answering. "I... can't be responsible... if something should happen to either of us during the fight..."

'She hasn't seen the other side of me yet... and when she does... I can only hope we both come out of it okay...'

"Listen, I'll stay back here in Canterlot if you'd like," she sighs as she approaches her mate. "Fang cannot enter the city, it is written in his blood. Meanwhile, I will kill Celestia and Lightwing, and bestow immortality upon our unborn."

"Then again, I could always kill the child once it's born."

"Listen... don't get me wrong... but I don't think you could do it... If it comes to... I'll do it... I couldn't let you live with that burden..." Shadow gazed into her eyes. "But whatever happens... I know you'll make the right choice..."

"At this rate I'll be killing everypony!" she huffs. "Nevermind. You pointed this way?"

Without awaiting his response, she storms towards the door. Each hoof fall claps like thunder, echoing off the walls of the long, dark corridor. Her growling is becoming bear-like, and her hair becoming as black as onyx. Nopony would take her unborn from her. Nopony would stand in her way. She would eat her own colt and drag their souls straight down to hell before she let that happen! Besides, her mother was down there now; torturing the souls of the deceased. Not that anypony else knew that.

Breaking down the door with the mere tap of a hoof, Moonshadow bares her fangs at the ponies within. Celestia instantly recognizes the intruders and charges. In a flash, Moon disappears, leaving Shadow to deal with the mare. Again she appears, next the Lightwing's bed. The helpless stallion has a mixture of fear and hatred in his icy eyes as Moon tears at his white fur, shredding away chunks of flesh, and staining his golden mane with crimson liquid. Her eyes have lost all poniaty and turned jade.

Slowly, Lightwing's chest stops heaving and the deranged mare returns to 'normal'.

"So Celestia... How do you want this to end?" he chuckls, Moonshadow's sudden angry outburst giving him a boost of energy.

"Shadow! Call your minion off! She's killing Nightwing!" she screams at him, pleading.

"I don't think I am the one you should be asking Celestia." Shadow cracks his hooves. "So... What'll it be?"

"I don't want to fight you!" she yells. "I know I won't win!"

"Then step down and give Moonshadow here your powers..." he stated rather bluntly, Moon still tearing at the stallion.

"WHAT!" The mare suddenly thinks of the worst ways to torture him, casting a quick hypnotic spell on the stallion. "Shadow! The mare is part of the New Lunar Republic! Restrain her!"

"I... No!" he says, straining to break the spell. Moon is paying no attention as she continues tearing at Nightwing.

"I am your commander! Do as I say!" He falls to his knees, mind becoming clouded.

"I... I can't... fight it... Moon!"

'Suddenly... without warning... I snap...'

Sensing Shadow's transformation, Moonshadow encases herself in her wings and vanishes. A hoof stomp behind the stallion tells him she has appeared next to Celestia.

'I lose vision... my sight grows dim... I feel... nothing...'

Shadow's body begins to jerk in many directions. Celestia turns to the mare and bellows in laughter. "It's too late for you now! He, along with the rest of us, are now doomed!"

"So you believe," she replies calmly, now in her day form.

Not tensing in the slightest, Moonshadow stares at her husband; smiling.

"Oh, Shadow. You believe you are strong, yet you let these things control you," she laughs lightly, much to Celestia's confusion. "Tell me the truth stallion; do you love me enough to force your demons to spare me, your wife and the bearer of your unborn foals?"

"I... I..." Moonshadow knows not the extent of the control the demons, Shadow no longer Shadow at this point. "i FoRgOt HoW gReAt ThIs BoDy FeElS..." The deranged stallion chuckles, neck at a ninety degree angle. Celestia glances to Moonshadow, fear in her eyes.

"I... I changed my mind... Shadow! Halt!" Celestia commands. The stallion smiles with a sinister grin.

"sHaDoW? wHo Is ThAt? Oh YeA... tHe SoFtY..." In a blur, he flashes beside Lightwing, looking down at him with pity. "sHaMe... I nEvEr LiKeD tHe ElDeRlY..." In a sudden flash, the bed bound stallion burst into flames. "sUcH a WaStE..." he laughs, turning to Moonshadow.

"Petty way of disposal," she scoffs. "I was forced to eat my victims as a filly."

For a moment, her eyes lock with the creature.

"You seem to be the softy," she remarks with a grin.

Within a flash, Shadow, or what was once Shadow, dashes between the two mares, turning to face Celestia. "HeLlO!" Bringing his forehoof back, he back hoofs the princess with great might, breaking her jaw in several places as she is flung across the room. "gOoDbYe!" He quickly spins around to face the mare. "sO yOu'Re ThE oNe WhO mAdE hIm SoFt HuH?" He frowns. "wHy WoUlD yOu Do SuCh A tErRiBlE tHiNg?"

"Terrible?" she sneers. "I'm not the one who just back hoofed somepony weaker than me."

Sighing, Moonshadow walks over to a window and gazes up at the sky.

"Besides, one who must kill and abuse ponies to show their power is far weaker than one who is modest and withholds his or her temper."

She turns to him again. "And if he is, as you say, so soft; why must you use his vessel in place of your own?"

Bringing his hoof into her gut with much greater force than that of Celestia, he laughs, blood spurting from his mouth.

"wAtCh YoUr MoUtH... oR tHiS bOdY wIlL eNd Up DeAd..."

The blow results in maniacal laughter, "Go ahead hoof-for-brains."

"hEh... HiS fUnErAl..." He jumps back, taking his own blade in his hoof. "CoUlD yOu JuSt WaTcH aS i MaMe HiM?" he laughs, the edge piercing his neck as blood flowed. "i MaY jUsT aLlOw HiM tO rEtUrN tO fEeL tHe Pain." His body convulses as it screams.

"GHA!" Shadow states, now aware of his surroundings and falling to the ground. "What... is going on?" He shakes his head.

"yOuR mArE iS lEtTiNg Me HaRm YoU..."

"Why should I care what you do to him? Is not death a release?" she muses. "Of course, you wouldn't kill him, so why weaken your host further? You demons really are trivial creatures; forcing weaker souls to take a backseat to body possession. You make the body do unnatural and superpony things, but are expelled with such a simple utterance of faith-filled words."

As she speaks, the rooms is eaten up by an oozing flesh-like matter. The stench of burning rot prevails over the odorless atmosphere. Suddenly, the floor quakes and out crawl burnt, mangled corpses of ponies long dead. Their bodies once buried under the floor now gnashing their jagged, brown teeth. Behind Moonshadow, a fireball forms into a mare with ruby flames for hair, void-like fur, long venomous fangs, and flaming golden eyeballs.

"I'm sure you've met my mother," Moon chuckles. "Firemane, Princess of Hellponies."

"yOu DoN't ThInK i Am StUpId, Do YoU?" He laughs, the blade cutting deeper into Shadow's neck, just far enough away from the esophagus to speak. "i CoNtRoL hIs SoUl... KiLlInG hIm WoUlD oNlY iNcReAsE hIs SuFfErInG... aNd KnOwInG tHaT tHe MaRe He LoVeD cArEd So LiTtLe... I wOuLd ThInK yOu EvEn MoRe HeArTlEsS tHaN mE..." Shadow gasps as he comes back to senses, still his body held captive by the demon however.

"Moon..." he says with sorrow filled eyes. "You... but I thought..." He screams once more as the demon takes back control. "sHe DoEsN't LoVe YoU sHaDoW... aNd NoPoNy EvEr WiLl..." he bellowed with laughter, staring at the Princess. "hEh... SaD... i FiGuReD yOu PrEtTiEr..." The stallion drops to his knees, the loss of blood starting to take its effect. "iT wOn’T bE lOnG nOw..."

Moonshadow walks over to the pony that is somewhere in between her lover and a demon.

"I do love you Shadow," she chokes. "But like you said, I can't do anything."

Softly, she kisses her dying husband, "At least my promise will not be broken."

Firemane comes up beside her daughter and looks within' Shadow, "This demon, why do you allow him control over you? Your soul is your own, regardless of what the whelp says. However, you'll never see this until you believe it."

She looks to Moon, "I myself am a hellpony; kindness does not fit me as well as you, daughter."

She begins turning into flame, "Only he will expel that drone."

Moonshadows gazes down saying, "I love you enough risk my life to kill you, but do you love me enough to live?"

"BaHaHaHa!" the stallion laughs. "hElL fOr ThIs PoNy WiLl Be PaRaDiSe CoMpArEd..." Shadow is allowed to speak once more, the demon giving control to his motionless body.

"M... Moon..." he chokes, coughing up blood black as night. "I... I..." He slowly turns his head to the mare, his voice now a soft whisper. "I'm... sorry..." With his slowly fading breath, gazing deeply into his love's eyes, he mouths the words, 'I love you'.

Moon reverts to her chaos form and teleports within her mate to face the demon. Her mane has become a violet flame and her eyeballs crimson red. She gnashes her fangs and glares at the creature before her.

"You let him die..." The demon's voice echos, a much calmer tone, yet still eerie. "You let me take him... and now he curses your name..." A faint figure shimmers in the distance, its look oddly familiar. Over a few seconds, it could be distinct that it was, in fact, Shadow.

"Where am I?" he asks. "What's going on?"

"In your own hell..." the voice laughs, the stallion before Moon being grabbed from underneath, disappearing before her as he screamed in terror.

"You see what you allowed? He's dead... and we control his afterlife now!" the voice bellows, his laughs maniacal.

"Do as you please, my first two goals have been accomplished," she growls and returns to the normal world.

A menacing laugh escaped her lips as she proceeds with ripping apart Celestia. Her promise was kept, but her mentor had won. But what about her two unborn foals? She hadn't even told Shadow about the filly she saw while killing Lightwing.





Down in hell, Fireman goes about her duties when she spots somepony. A stallion being oiled in one of the many fiery black pits. Who? She trots over to him.

"Ah, my daughters little mate," she coos. "Well, seems the immortal wasn't quite out of deaths flaming grip, hmm?"

She looks to the demon from earlier and states, "Tell me, why did you bother bringing an innocent here to my domain? You know what Father does to those who break the code."

"i Do OnLy As I aM iNsTrUcTeD..." The demon snarls, gritting its teeth. "bEsIdEs... He DeSeRvEs ThIs..." The stallion looks up at the mare cooing him, quite blankly staring at her.

"Who... are you?" he asks, most of his memory erased from coming down into oblivion. "Where am I!? WHO am I!? Wh... Why am I here!?"

"Calm down," she instructs the distressed soul before returning her attention to the demon. "Release him back into the living world, my daughter still needs him."

"yOu KnOw i Am NoT uNdEr YoUr OrDeRs PrInCeSs..." the demon chuckles. "sO i Do WhAt I pLeAsE... bUt HoW aBoUt ThIs... I wIlL gIvE tHe MaRe A tEsT... bUt I wIlL nEeD yOuR pErMiSsIoN..." he says with a sinister grin, Shadow still freaking out.

"I could always plead to HIM, as I am HIS heir," she scoffs. "But I wish to humor you a little, as not many drones have ambition. Tell me your plan and we'll see if I permit."

Before he answers, she pulls Shadow out of the pit and shields him with her wing.

"lEt Me TeSt He DeTeRmInAtIoN aNd LoVe FoR tHiS sTaLlIoN..." he scoffs back. "As FaR aS i CoUlD tElL... i SaW nO lOvE fRoM hEr..." His voice calms. "And unloved ponies deserve a place like this..."

"You know g--"

A vortex opens nearby and a pony blacker than the void with jade eyes comes out. Her mouth oozes blood and foam as her wild, almost lifeless eyes glare at the demon. Like lightning she rams her half-horn into the demon's chest, then just as quickly begins ripping out his throat.

Shadow only listens from behind cover.

'I hear a scream from behind the wings of the mare shielding me. From those agonizing yells, I determine that seeing what was on the other side wasn't going to be pretty. Suddenly, the wings start to unwrap, my vision blurred by the sudden light hitting my eyes. My vision becomes more clear, a solid black mare before me with a blood soaked coat, and foam filled mouth. I stand there, complete shock and horror across my face as I only stared...'

The mare reverts to her normal form of violet hair and and bloody eyes.

She turns to the stallion, "Shadow?"

"He doesn't remember..." Fire informs her.

Moon rushes over to her mate and gently places her forehead to his.

=====

From out of a nearby alley steps a glossy black mare with luminous silver hair, her eyes cold as the icy color they possess.

"Who are you..."

"My christened name is Moonshadow."

"Let's make it a blood pact."

"Don't worry, when you take with you apart of me, I am obligated to help you until your death... and before you ask why I am so willing, does it honestly look like I have anything better to do?"

"You now carry within yourself my essence. I am therefore sworn loyalty towards your side until one of our times of death."

"Have you ever had a special somepony?"

"Like somepony would give me a chance..."

"Besides, who would want to be with a murderous former captain that killed his own sister?"

"And why are you observing me? You see something you like?"

"I was just looking at your scar!"

"What's the rush?"

"The faster we get there, the less time you get to hang out with me. Ya know, seeing as you're gonna kill me when we DO get there and you revive your mentor, might as well enjoy my little bit of time left and look at the scenery."

"Do you mind if I try something?"

"Sure..."

"Sorry..."

"Don't be."

"What?! You think I like that sicko? The Prince of the Void, Bloodfang. His father wanted that.. creature to be with me, he just followed along until he too desired it. After the King died, Nightmare Moon took over and convinced him to forcibly make me his."

"What do you want me to say? Huh? How am I supposed to take this?"

"Don't you dare change the subject on me!"

"I love you, damn it!"

=====


She backs away to see if he remembered.

"M... Moon?" Shadow places his face in his hoof, shaking it furiously as he is hit with the worst of migraines. "I... think... I... I need to sit down..."

He grows dizzy, setting himself upon a small rock. "Wha... what's going on? Who... who are you?" he says rather dumbly, the memories washed away from the controlling aura of Hell. "Why am I here?"

"hE's FaR gOnE... aNd OnLy I cAn SaVe HiS mEmOry..." The weakened and torn demon laughs. "AnD iT wIlL dIe WiTh Me UnLEsS i TeSt YoU..."

"How the buck do I prove it!?" she screeches.

Suddenly, everything grows black. Moonshadow glares around her, but there in nothingness. "Are you ready?" the demons voice echos, a small chuckle and cough coming from an unknown origin. "Because Shadow is..." Like before, the figure of the stallion she loved appeared before her, completely unaware of what's happening.

"What the buck is going on!" he screams in frustration, snorting loudly at the only pony in his sight. "WHO ARE YOU! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME!" he yells, getting up in her face.

"Here he stands... angry, lonely, and confused... just like I first found him..." The distant voice weakens. "Now do what nopony could... and save him from himself..." Another cough. "Hurry up... my injuries from you are grave indeed..."

"Shadow," she whispers and lifts his hoof to her belly. "Don't you remember? Our little colt...."

Desperately she stares into his eyes, longing for the stallion he was before. She didn't want this. She needed him to remember. Do to the excessive use of her magic, her pregnancy had almost tripled, leaving her rather far along.

"There's a little filly too. Oh Shadow, please remember!" she begins to weep uncontrollably.

"Remember? REMEMBER! Why the buck would I wanna remember my life!?" he screams at the weeping mare. "Tortured for countless years! Murdering my own sister! Living with the guilt of killing hundreds, maybe thousands of innocent ponies! I think it better to forget!" he lashes, the words piercing her heart.

"How determined are you to win him over? To make him see the good of things?" the voice asks with another cough.

"Besides..." the stallion continued. "You never did understand..."

"You lived your buckin' life under the control of a buckin' demon!" she retorts. "What about our kids? How will I explain to them that I left their father to burn in HELL?! And so what if I can't understand? Are you the grandchild of the Devilpony? Have you indulged in cannibalism? Did YOU send ME to Hell?"

She pushes her face up to his, "Wouldn't you like to have a second chance at a better life!"

"Anger is certainly one way of trying I suppose..." the voice echoed. Shadow just glares deeply into her eyes, her face still pushed to his.

"You will never know my pain. You may kill. You may cry. You may even have your heart ripped right out in front of you. But... Never will you understand my hell." He grunts as he pulls his head away. "How I wish for a better life... but even you know I don't deserve it..." A small tear leaves his cheeks. "You watched me suffer up there... and allowed that demon to kill me..." He turns back towards her.

"Tell me why! If you think I have the right to live, then why did you laugh as I was murdered! Did you think I couldn't feel the blade pierce my neck? Did you think I couldn't see the arrogance in your glare? I BUCKING LOVED YOU, AND YOU CHUCKLED AT MY DEATH!" he screamed.

"Now do you understand!? Now do you know why I am angry!? I was betrayed! Forsaken by the only pony I truly cared for! Have you felt that pain? Huh? Have somepony laugh as you die? Just scoff as you draw your last breath?" He turns away from her.

"You will never know... and you will never understand... Just... leave me alone..." Shadow's head hangs low as he finishes the statement, a soft sobbing coming from him.

"I laughed only to keep from crying," she half-growls, half-chokes. "I promised you would die. You died. I told you you had a soul, now I have proven it. I was only doing it for you. Hell, I even freed you from that prison of immortality, and now..." She pauses before speaking more softly, "I'm trying to free you from this demon and the chains that bind you to this hell.

"The body up there was an empty shell Moon..." the voice echos again. "This is the real Shadow... and this is how he really feels..." Shadow's sobbing grows as a moment passes.

"I couldn't save them..." the stallion cries, reliving his worst of memories. "I... only watched..." Around the two, the darkness begins to take form, the world around them taking shape. After only a few seconds, Moon realizes that she is standing in the middle of a town, ponies and fillies and colts alike all playing in harmony.

"How wonderful life was... the world then so peaceful..." Shadow's body disintegrates, leaving the mare in perplexion. "How I long to forget this day... this... horrible... day..."

The sky darkens as the townsfolk take notice of a blaze in the distance, a few unholy demon-like figures forming from the shadows. "There were screams..." he continues, the fillies to Moons side being ripped apart from the monsters. "There was blood..." he states, the crimson liquid flowing through the streets like a river.

"There was death..." he at last sighs, the bodies of everypony now laying in the streets, mutilated and motionless, the village on fire and void of all life.

"And I witnessed it all... with my own eyes..." The figure of a small colt appears before her, hiding behind a wall and peering out into the village, horror and fear washing over him at once. "And did nothing to stop it..." he continued.

"I even watch my own parents be torn in half... their blood splattering on my coat... and scarring me forever..." He appears before the mare. "I allowed the demons to take my soul Moon... so that I could feel nothing... because if I hadn't... I would have ended up here long ago..." His eyes dart away. "You've seen my childhood... and what I have endured... and before you scoff at me... I am only a pegasus... and I wasn't born from the pits of Hell... I am mortal... and that is why you can never understand..."

"You did what any foal would do," she states sorrowfully. "But please, Shadow; let your past go! Let's go back and build the family you lost. Let's rid the evil from Equestria! Please! I won't leave without you."

"No... My time here is over... My race is run... and you didn't care to stop it..." He sighs once more, turning away with tears in his eyes. "I don't deserve you Moon... and I never will... I will always love you... and... I'm..." He stops, choking as he answered. "Sorry..." He vanishes before her, leaving Moon in complete distress, and the world slowly melting away around her.

"Shadow?!" she calls, springing forward. "SHADOW! SHADOW NO! I LOVE YOU! NO! SHADOW! Shadow./."

She collapses, tears flooding out like rivers as she whimpers, "No... somepony as selfish as me.... heh, I never deserved you......"

The wounded demon appears before her, looking pitifully at her. "The daughter of the Princess... sulking on the ground and wallowing over a worthless pegasus... It's rather sad really..." he laughs, coughing up blood. "But... I can see the love in your eyes... and a deal is a deal..." The demon collapses on the ground in a sudden flash. "Go to him..." the demon says wheezing. "He is lost without you..."

Moonshadow jolted upright and rushes about, searching desperately for her mate when she falls over from an intense pain around. Her eyes grow wide with fear.

Frantically, she calls, "Shadow! Shadow, they're com-- agh."

She wrenches at the pain shooting through her body. Of all the places to go into labor, why Hell?

Shadow slowly awakens in the room of his death, Celestia's and Lightwing's mutilated corpses around him as he stands. "What... happened?" In a flash, he quickly remembers all that had happened. "Moon! Wh- Where are you!" In a desperate attempt, he tries to summon his dark majik to teleport to her. "WHY... CAN'T... I... USE... MY... MAJIK!" Suddenly, a vortex appears to his side.

"It's because you are no longer bound by my demons..." Fire states, stepping from the vortex. "Moonshadow has released you... and you are now free..."

"I'm... free?" He stands there motionless, the mere concept overwhelming. He abruptly bolts into the sky, prancing about and screaming in glee. Shadow quickly realizes AGAIN that Moon is not there. "Wait, where is moon!?"

Struggling, Moonshadow manages to heave her aching body through a portal. Once through, she notices Shadow, only something's different about him. Her thoughts are disrupted by a contraction, causing her to shriek.

Firemane chuckles a little at the sound, telling Shadow as she returns to Hell, "You may want to get her to the hospital, son."

"Shadow," Moon groans. "They are comiiiiiiing!"

"Well... this is certainly a surprise..." Shadow states with a grin. "I'm guessing that teleporting to a hospital didn't come to mind?" he jokes, messing with Moon.

"If I could teleport us there then I BUCKIN' WOULD!" she growls. "NOW GET ME TO A HOSPITAL CELESTIA-AMMIT!"

"Jeez... take a joke Moon... was just messin' with ya." he chuckles, carefully placing her on his back. "Now..." Shadow states as he exits the castle. "Where's the hospital?"

"HALT!" a guard hails from a distance.

"Oh look! Company!" Shadow laughs. "Hey Moon, reckon we should listen and stop?" He says with a smile.

"We stop, and I'll bite into so deep IT WILL KILL THEM FROM THE MERE SIGHT OF IT!" she barks. "You can explain to them later!"

"Sorry guys!" Shadow says with a bit of fear in his voice. "Gotta go!" He quickly dashes through the few guards, sure to carefully dodge the swords they had withdrawn. "Now..." Shadow says as he carries her through the alleys in a galloping state. "Which way do I go?"

"I don’t know, ASK SOMEPONY!” she grunts, glaring at the back of his head.

"WHO!? Everypony is hiding!" Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he spots the building that closely resembled that of a medical facility. "Don't worry! I will get you there!" he says, now in full sprint. "How are you holding up?"

"One of them is coming!"

"Now listen here!" Shadow exclaims, running even faster than full sprint. "YOU WILL NOT GIVE BIRTH ON MY BACK!" The two are only mere seconds away from the front doors.

"I AM IF-- AAGH! HERE COMES THE HEAD!" she wails, digging her hooves into his back.

Crashing through the glass doors, Shadow accidentally flings Moon across the room, the mare being thrown into a doctor. "GIVING BIRTH!" Shadow screams at the stunned ponies. "HELP HER NOW!" he roars, the ponies snapping out of their trances and gathering around Moon.

Moon is carried off into another room. For what seems like an eternity, Shadow waits outside. Moon's screaming profanity at the doctor, although amusing, is remarkably loud. Finally, he is allowed entrance.

Moonshadow is laid up on the bed holding two little foals. A pegasus colt with a mane and tail as black as the void, and eyes of jade. The other, an alicorn filly of the same color as Shadow, but with golden eyes.

"The colt I've named Death Haze," she yawns happily. "I'll let you name the filly."

Shadow looks at the filly, her bright, golden eyes completely shading out the grey in her coat. The sight makes him think to better days. "How about... Shade Night?" The filly giggles as he says it. "You like that name huh?" Shadow looks back up at the mare, a rather different look on his face, one she would never have seen in his other state. He looks at her... with joy...
Moon smiles, but it quickly fades. "Bloodfang," she mumbles to herself.

Shadow remembers his promise, but knows he stands no chance without his majik. "You know I can't face him... right? I am mortal... and he probably knows this..." He looks at the two foals with worry. "What should we do?"

She reverts to her day form and hands over the foals, "I must go back to the castle and finish shaping my horn. He's already on his way."

Shadow stood there, the foals is each hoof. "I should come with you!" he says, about to ask a doctor to watch over their two babies.

"No!" she yelps. "You're mortal now, lest you want me to use this half-horn to make you otherwise."

"But... your mentor... what about him?" Shadow asks, a bit stunned. "I mean... You may outlive me... but I can't let you throw that goal away..."

"True, I loved him, but he was...rather abusive and controlling," she trails off. "Equestria would be better off under Discord's rule."

"So... you'd give me immortality?" he asks, thinking of the possibilities. "But... I'm useless in this state... What good could I do?"

"Useless?" she inquires. "Can you no longer use a blade?"

"Tis your choice I suppose. I won't stop you from making me immortal, just as long as that is what you think best," Shadow states, rolling his eyes. Deep down, he really was overjoyed to be immortal again, except that this time, there was no strings attached, so to say. Setting the two foals in the hooves of a nearby nurse, Shadow turns to his love.

"How does this work?" he inquires, unaware of how the process works.

"Well, it'll hurt to high heaven," she warns. "I'll have to drive the horn into your heart first. It will then disintegrate and run throughout your body, giving you both immortality and an outstanding ability to self-heal."

"Annnnd... Hypothetically... What if it doesn't?" Shadow asks, a bit unsure about having his heart pierced by a horn. "Just asking..."

"It will," she states. "I've done it before on accident."

"So... you have a one time accident to go on huh?" He ponders a moment before shrugging. "What the hay! I trust ya! Hit me!" he says, bracing himself for the impact.

Smiling wickedly, she transforms in her Void form and charges; her half-horn gliding cleanly into his chest, glowing aquamarine and snapping off instantly.

Shadow feels the horn pierce his chest. She was right. It hurt worse than any physical pain he could have imagined, but the pain was short lived, seeing as she was also right about the fast-healing powers. "I... I feel great!" he says, jumping in the air like an idiot with a stupid smile plastered on his muzzle.

Laughter erupts from the mare so hard she could hardly breathe. He did indeed look like an idiot. The foals could not figure what to make of the situation, so began squealing with joy as well, and hospital faculty had gathered to what the curious scene.

"Don't get all happy yet," she warns again. "I still have to form a horn to defeat Bloodfang and to grant immortality to the kids."

"Oh yea... I feel like I could take on an army!" he yelled, feeling the best he had in years. "Come on! Let's go!"

"HALT!" a voice yells in a distance, a guard breaking through the crowd of nurses and doctors. "You are under arrest Shadow Eternal!" He quickly glances to Moon. "As are you Moonshadow!"

"Oh my... this guy again..." the grey pegasus says with distaste.

"On what charges, petty pony?" Moon demands. "By killing two rulers and imprisoning the third, we have rightfully taken over this grotesque, dismal kingdom."

"YOU have taken over this land, so you are forgiven of your crimes. This stallion however, has defeated none of the rulers himself! He will be taken to custody and beheaded for his crimes from which, under law, you can not pardon... your highness..." The guard quickly grabs Shadow's vest and starts to try and drag him off, Shadow putting up a formidable resistance, but efforts futile against the built guard...

Moonshadow snatches her husband back, growling, "That may have been the case under Celestia's reign, but I am Queen now, whelp! What is your name and rank?"

"My name..." The guard suddenly dissipates, a few of the ponies that were gathered around doing the same. Some shady figures form in the darkness, out of their sight. "Is none of your concern..." A few figures form behind them, drawing close to the new born children.

"Moon!" Shadow yells, crashing into the figures as the doctor holding the foals stands in shock.

Void form reactivating, Moon lunges at the drones, blocking their path to the children. "You lay one Celestia buckin' hoof on them and I swear to God I will put you through hell ten times over!"

She calls to Shadow, "Hurt them! Make them suffer beyond that which they'd endure in Hell!"

"Moon!" Shadow states, struggling. "I don't have my powers anymore!" He grabs his blade and slices through the two drones, their forms disappearing like vapor. "I'm not what I once was..." Suddenly, a drone appears from behind, ramming its claw like hoof into Shadow's back.

"GAH!" he screamed, taking his elbow and rearing it into its face as he dropped to the ground, coughing blood.

"I'm fine!" he says, the horns affects sustaining like it should. "It just REALLY hurt..."

"So it shall," she replies, clawing at the pests. "But continue slashing at them!"

A black fog fills the room, blocking the vision of everypony. A sudden flash of light rushes through the air, landing near the foals. Those eyes, his mane, that fur; Bloodfang.

"Well, well!" he laughs. "The little hellpony bucked you up, huh?"

An evil cackle escapes his lips as his tongue glides across Shade Night's cheek, "Oh, what I plan to do to this miniature of your mate."

"MOON! STOP HIM!" Shadow screams, fighting off a few more minions as they piled on him. Moon stood there a moment, unsure of what to do. "Forget me! Save the foals!" A few more sharp hooves spear into his back, more blood gushing out his mouth. "GAHCK!"

She crashes into the much larger stallion's side, knocking him across the room.

"Lay a hoof on her and your soul belongs to Black Flame!"

Blood cringes at the mention of the Devilpony, but replies coolly, "I demand payment for leaving this world in peace, lest you'd rather have Nightrain around that pretty little colt of yours."

This time, it was Moon who cringed. Give Shade Night to Bloodfang, or give Death Haze to Nightrain?! She glares at him for a few minutes, then commands, "Call off your minions and we'll negotiate it."

The zebra-striped stallion nods, causing the voidlings to vanish.

Moon walks over to Shadow, who is healing, and whispers, "Luna is with child, as you may or may not have noticed. I read her mind as she slept; twill be a blue filly of golden mane, Eclyspia."

"Wha... what are you implying?" Shadow asks, standing up as his wounds are almost healed. "You're not going to give him Shade Night, are you!?" His hearing of this almost made him completely irrational to logic, drawing his blade to the side. He didn't know what came over him, but he peered right through Moon into the eyes of Bloodfang."

Moon... move... now..." he coldly states, his mind set on what must be done. This stallion would have no payment, and Shadow was going to make sure enough of this.

"Kill me? An immortal may be capable of killing another one, but doing so will release Nightrain," he sneers at the 'tiny pony', before returning his focus to the mare, "This filly of Luna's, could you really be heartless enough to give it to me? You really have a way of making immortals suffer."

His attention returns to Shadow, "Doesn't she tiny hellpony?"

"You... distasteful... arrogant... mindless... insufferable... infutable..." Shadow starts walking towards him, brushing Moon to the side. "Lowlife... worthless... heartless... imputinent... idiotic... monstrous..." He is only mere hooves away from Bloodfang, his blade at his beckoning call. "Mischievious... coniving... callous... wretched... unlovable... SON OF A BITCH"

Shadow takes the blade and slits at his throat in a flash, quickly after binging it vertically downwards through his chest as he rams it forward to where the heart would be. Leaving the blade, he grabs his dagger from his vest and plants it right into his forehead.

The final blow results in Blood's body dispersing into thousands of black, screaming shadows; only made louder by wailing foals. The hospital roof is torn off by a monstrous hurricane in the sky. Nopony dares run, but stare up in fear. Thunder and lightning cracks, setting several buildings ablaze as a hornless, alicorn stallion descends from the center; a black coat, blue mane and tail with glowing yellow tips, cutiemarkless, and the whites of his eyes are icy blue, but with yellow iris and pupil.

He lands softly, but with an earth shaking boom, causing everypony to kneel.

Moonshadow stares at him and whispers in terror, "Nightrain."

"So... you're Nightrain..." Shadow glares with anger, his outstanding power and intimidation having no effect on the stallion. "You stay away from my children!" he screams, covering the two foals with his body.

"I have no intentions of harming such valuable ponies," he scoffs, then looks down on his pupil. "Somepony did not keep her promise."

The mare shrinks at his mocking tone.

"Instead, you chose to obey me," he muses, lying down to eye level with her. "You've proven of some worth, so I'll let you keep Equestria. But the Void however is mine, and I will need a suitable servant."

"W-would it please you to have Luna?" she stutters.

The stallion ponders this for a moment, staring at Death Haze the entire time.

"I'm not sure," he concludes, looking confused. "What does your mate think? He is the King of this land after all."

"Luna..." Shadow suddenly feels conflicted. Sure, it would be easy enough to hand over the wretched princess he has long hated, but he had his soul back... and doing such to a PREGNANT princess just wouldn't feel right with his conscious. On the other hoof, he would have to give up one of his own foals, and he couldn't bear that thought. "I... wouldn't feel right giving you Luna... nor would it please me to give you my son..." He pauses, taking a deep breath before continuing. "So to allow me a clear conscious, and to live my eternity without regret..." Another pause. "I offer you myself... in their place..."

Nightrain stares at this strange little stallion confused, and is even more surprised when Moonshadow jumps between them.

"No deal, but," he adds before anypony can reply. "I am allowed to visit the strange colt of voidling pelt at any time. I shall not harm him nor force anything upon him; I only wish to watch him."

Shadow sighs in relief. "Pwew... for a moment there, ya had me going..." he states in a much more casual tone. He looks over to Moon, who is glaring at him with a rather furious look. The stallion quickly shies away at seeing this as Nightrain continues to talk to the mare.

"We still have a pact though, as you may recall, daughter," he states bluntly. "I will collect my debt come morning."

At that he vanishes into the void, glancing back only once to see the colt.

"Perfect," she growls. "Now I must resurrect Celestia with her own horn!"

"Okay... let's just CALM DOWN..." Shadow says, trying to coo the mare. "I am sure we can grant our children immortality another way... Besides, we wouldn't want them to be foals forever, now would we?" he says, trying to bring her to reason.

"They would grow!" she barks before backing up unsure of why she snapped at him.

"Nightrain can grant immortality to any he desires, but he demands payment for everything."

She stares up at the clouds, rain pouring down, "Shadow, from here on out, you make all major decisions concerning our daughter, as I will with our son. I will give him Celestia as payment, as well as Luna's child."

Hastily, she adds, "Trust me on this!"

"Okay..." Shadow says, still unsure of her intentions. "I will..." Then he began to think of what she meant when she said 'from here on out'. What did she mean? Was... she going to leave him? With unclear thoughts, the stallion grabs his daughter, and departs out the door of the room. "I hope you know what you're doing..." Shadow says as he closes the door.

Moonshadow watches him go; hoping she had not said the wrong thing. She picks up Death Haze; what was it Nightrain had seen? Shaking it off, she walks out and heads towards the castle. Eclypsia would become Rain's minion, Celestia his toy. Eclypsia would pay for Death's immortality, and Light's demise for Shade. Shade; where was her husband taking their daughter? Moon hated how many things she said are taken the wrong way.

Holding his daughter in his hooves, covering her gently, Shadow stepped outside the doors of the hospital, rain drizzling upon him. Looking out into the distant gloom, he makes a generalization of where his old encampment would be. "Come on Shade... Let's go home... and wait for mom..." Shadow knew she would know where to look, and for the first time in a long time, unfurled his wings and took flight through the dark sky, heading for his old home...